


Friday is Cancelled

by foggywizard, scribensdracones



Category: Noblesse (Manhwa)
Genre: Eternal party, F/M, The true ship is Ignes x a handful of confetti, Time Loop, mentioned Third/First, the Union is a hot mess and everyone knows it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:22:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 97,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26668897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foggywizard/pseuds/foggywizard, https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribensdracones/pseuds/scribensdracones
Summary: It will never be Friday again - because each death just takes it all back to Monday. Before meeting Doctor Aris and realizing reality is starting to disintegrate, Maduke thought this must be the best thing that ever happened to him.
Relationships: Dr. Aris/Maduke (Noblesse)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There we go again. Maduke x Aris is just FUN so... keep your eyes peeled, there might be more of that ship :)  
> This entire premise is inspired by the Netflix Series "Russian Doll"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to go ahead an post everything in a go, but of course we would always be happy about hearing your thoughts on the way! :)

Another beautiful monday morning. Droplets of water still clung to Maduke's skin as he slowly stepped away from the sink in his bathroom. Another day, another act of this bad comedy his life had turned into. Like every monday, or any other day before, he finished his morning grooming and stepped out of his bedroom. "Good morning, Juraki," he greeted the warrior the second the turned around the corner. Nothing was new in this world. "Call Lunark," he instructed his assistant upon taking seat on the throne. Just what would he do this time? He'd decide when she got here.

"My Lord." He gave a bow and backed slowly out of the room, going to retrieve her. It was several minutes before he returned with Lunark. "Lord." She knelt before him, as was their tradition.

For a few minutes, Maduke simply observed her, quietly relishing in the sight before - "What day is it, Lunark?"

She blinked, briefly looking up. "Monday, Lord? By human standards."

"Monday," he repeated slowly and nodded understandingly. His next announcement was delivered with his usual, impassive stone-face. "I will abdicate on Friday."

Her gaze snapped up, laced with shock. "I... I see. Would you like the rest of the warriors to know?"

He waved his hand dismissively and simply burst out laughing. "Do with this information what you will. It's not like it's ever going to be Friday again."

"... Lord, are you feeling okay?" Had he gotten ahold of something? Like the long illegal psychedelic mushrooms?

"I'm great." He stood up. "It'll never be Friday again, I tell you. Friday is cancelled. Thursday too. Saturday and Sunday? Keep dreaming. Now Wednesdays... " He simply walked off towards the doors. "Go ahead, take a seat, I'll be back this Monday."

"..." Psychedelics for sure. She followed. Best just treat this like any other day, even if the Lord was acting _very_ strange. "Have you read your emails for today?"

"The First Elder will call for a summit on Wednesday. We'll receive the notification in two hours." He wondered if he'd ever get there. "It's been two hundred years since the Union held a real summit." With _all_ relevant members attending, not just the Elders. Who rarely met in person either.

"That's not..." Not really possible. "So we ignore Twelfth's invitation then?" To a subordinate's party, strangely enough. Weird and a waste of their time, but it was from an Elder.

"Ah. You know what? Let's go. We might make it if we get moving now." And Maduke pretty much never accepted invitations to anywhere, but why not? If the party was boring, well...

Lunark blinked. Maduke... _wanted_ to go? "Very well. I'll make arrangements, Lord."

"What arrangements?" He tilted his head as though it was a genuine question. "We don't need anything."

"... Very well." Normally the Lord liked to bring at least a few creature comforts with him. "Shall we go then, Lord?"

"Do we still have cigars stored on board?" That was all he needed, really.

"... Lord, if you want to use the jet, it does need to be prepared." She'd assumed that he'd meant that he wanted to travel on foot with that!

"Then why are you still standing here? What did we establish a communication network for?" He sighed. Really. She frowned, walking off to make the arrangements. She'd stayed to answer his question, the asshole.

Maduke took his time to get to the airfield where they kept their jet parked. Private, with all the amenities a Lord could ask for. Understaffed right now, but that was alright. He simply took a seat and reached for the cigar box already set up for him. "Sit down. Have a smoke."

"Of course." She took the seat opposite him in the roomy cabin, lighting up his cigar before lighting her own. This didn't do much for her, but social smoking was a good thing to practice for human interaction.

"It's a bit of a pity it'll never be Friday again," he mused. "And you did not seem eager at all to hear I am abdicating."

"... Should I be, Lord?" She didn't actually believe him when he said it, but still. Yes, Maduke was an asshole that made her uncomfortable, but what had he actually done against their people? Hadn't he served them well all this time? She disagreed with him on several points, sure. But that didn't make him _not_ Lord.

He simply leaned back, exhaling the smoke. "Yesterday, you were the one who tried to assassinate me, so..." Ah, he'd really overdone it. "No. That's tomorrow. Not this tomorrow, but the last one."

"... What? Why would I...?" That made no sense! "Look, I admit I might not like you all the time, but I have no reason to do that!"

"We're pretty similar in some regards." He crossed his legs as he leaned back. "You don't have much patience for people either."

She frowned, inhaling her cigar. What was his point?

"You wouldn't get it." Maduke waved his hand dismissively. "Maybe I'll confront you about your ambitions another way next time."

"Another way?" Wasn't she supposed to be his heir anyway? She sighed.

"Have you thought about my recent proposition?" She'd make a good match for him. And, more importantly, there weren't exactly many men who'd be worthy of her either.

"I'm still thinking about it," she replied. "I'm still young, you know? I don't just want to jump into something like that. Even if it's you. Not without a lot of serious thought first."

Maduke snickered. "That's a step-up from yestermorrow's _I'd rather die_ , I wager."

"... What!?" What on _Earth_ was he talking about? "I... really think that perhaps you should see a physician, Lord."

"On Friday," he replied with a truly exhilarated laugh. Oh, in a life where every day was like any other... this was truly a blessing. He could do whatever.

"... I'll hold you to that one."

" Based on my observations so far..." He puffed his cigar. "If we actually make it to the party, you can have my dagger collection."

"... Lord?" This whole conversation was _beyond_ worrying.

"What?" He tilted his head. "It's a pretty gorgeous collection, is it not?"

"It is, but..." Why was he offering it to _her?_ "You speak like you're going to die."

"Oh, I absolutely am." And it was alright. Not that Maduke particularly cared about his bleak life at this point. No. But more importantly... he knew he was going to come back.

She shuffled uncomfortably. "Lord... I realise I'm probably not the best person for this. At all. But I am here for you."

"Aren't you endearing?" He chuckled, not moving when a bang, like an explosion, could be heard outside.

Lunark jolted from her seat. "What was that?"

Maduke simply stayed where he was seated, calmly smoking his cigar. How unsurprising. One of the engines was on fire, heavy smoke obscuring the view from one side of the plane. "What a pity."

She huffed. "Yeah. We're going to need to jump and run the rest of the way." Before the plane exploded. Werewolf regeneration could help with a lot of things. Explosion damage was one of the more difficult ones.

"It's alright." He waved his hand dismissively. "I guess we are not meant to go to the party after all."

"You want to head home then?" She walked to the exit hatch, ready to open it.

He made absolutely no move to get up to leave. "Sit down."

"... Sit... down?" They would die if they stayed in the plane, he knew that, right?

"Yes." He nodded. "Why, are you afraid?" With a chuckle, he patted his knee as if inviting her to sit on his lap. "It's alright. I die all the time."

"Lord, I am not afraid. However... I have no intention of dying here. And you shouldn't either!" She wrenched the door open, aura bursting to keep her from being thrown from the plane as the cabin depressurised.

Maduke considered whether to get off the plane with her or not. Why bother, really? He didn't feel like he got the most of this time. "See you monday morning, Lunark."

"Lord!" She reached for him before hearing a noise that had her jumping from the plane without him. As Lunark caught herself in the air using her aura powers, the plane exploded mid-air shortly before crashing into the sea. It was a beautiful monday morning and a few thousand miles to the east, at a large Union party, Aris fell down the stairs and broke her neck.

* * *

"Ugh. Fuck!" Aris frowned into the mirror before admonishing herself. "No-no. Bad words should never come from a pretty girl's mouth!" Even if she had the weirdest sense of deja-vu suddenly come over her. Even if her stupid latest 'boyfriend' was an asshole. She'd just make him an experiment and replace him, just like she did all the others. If water would not ruin the makeup she wore, she'd splash some on her face, but since things were as they were... she turned on the faucet, splashing a handful of water to freshen her neck a bit before heading out, pretty as the dolls she aspired to be. "Oh my, I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?" She asked the next person in line.

Her question was met with a dismissive wave as two men, one blond and the other white-haired, simply pushed into the bathroom past her. "Happy Birthday!" Colorful confetti was flung her way by Ignes who was absolutely exhilarated to get to attend a real party. She even had brought some confetti just for this!

“Ah!” Oh no! Now it was all in her hair! She’d spent so long getting it just right! “I... thank you, Ignes! That’s wonderful!” She lied, trying to keep the peace since she was the daughter of an Elder.

She giggled and reached out to hug Aris. That's what humans did. They celebrated aging a year with parties, presents, confetti and hugs. "So how old are you now? You don't look a day older than five hundred!" In the background, a human laughed at the 'joke'.

Aria smiled tightly, hugging back. “Not telling! It’s rude to ask a pretty woman her age, you know?” She giggled.

"Alright. Alright." Ignes joined into the giggle, feeling light and fun after a few glasses of bubbly champagne. "I love your party!"

"It's cool, isn't it!? Is my lovely little squad here too?"

"Maybe!" Before she could say more, she noticed another familiar face in the crowd. "Doctor Nuryev!" And she left Aris alone, leaving her open to Yuri, who approached. He'd even brought flowers. "I see you've been partying hard already, Doctor." Judging by all the confetti on her.

Her brow furrowed, just a bit. This... felt familiar. Uncomfortably so. But still! Flowers! "Thank you, Yuri! Aww, you're just the best assistant ever, aren't you?" She hugged the bouquet to herself happily.

"I'd hope so, Doctor Aris." He chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "Please enjoy your party."

"I will! Oh, be a dear and bring us both a drink, won't you?" She batted her overlarge eyelashes at him.

"Anything for the sweet birthday girl." He wished he could lace her drink with something fun and watch her burn her own foundations to the ground. Maybe he would. "Please wait here for a minute."

She nodded. Yuri was always so reliable! She turned to look for Twelfth, her benefactor.He stood near a decorative fish tank, speaking Spanish with three young women - Marie, the blue haired girl, was interesting in particular, though he was starting to suspect she didn't actually speak any Spanish and was quiet because of that.

"Hey! Neat party you set up." Aris walked up to him. "I didn't realise you had a California villa!"

"I decided it's what I deserve." He chuckled. Indeed, the birthday of his best scientist, a hopeful newcomer on the stage, was a perfect opportunity to show off his new real estate. "And what _you_ deserve."

She giggled. "You flatter me! Tell me, did any of my babies manage to come? Or are they still out on their latest mission?"

"They are on their way, last time I talked to them. They're quite surprised they'll get to meet you in person."

"... You... told them they'd be meeting Doctor Aris?" Instead of just guarding a location for a while?

"... they were prioritizing the mission you gave them, initially." Loyal soldiers.

"Yes. My babies are the best! But... um. My sweet little Takeo doesn't know I'm _me_." She swivelled back and forth, a finger against her lips.

"I don't understand...?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well~ Takeo's a little bit sensitive. So, to keep him from offing himself like some of the other sensitive babies had, since he _is_ my second favourite in the group, I gave him a reason to live! I'm his sick little sister, as far as he knows."

"Oh." Twelfth just could laugh at that. Now that sounded like _her_ problem. "I am sure that you, in your ingenuity, will think of something."

"Hmm... I could just pretend 'I' am not here. Kranz will play along. He always does." Kranz was a good boy like that. That was why he was her third favourite. None could compare to her sweet baby Tao though. He was the weakest, but she'd worked the most on him because of how technically complex the skillset she'd built for him was.

"I wonder if they will end up thinking Ignes is you." The only other young female scientist prodigy here.

“Maybe.” Oh! To let Ignes take credit for this?

The man just pet Aris' confetti-covered head. "Enjoy your party undercover, then."

“Oh! I will! Do you know who the cute blond boy is with Third, by the way?”

"Actually, I do not. He introduced him as Gio. They seem ... _close_." Third, the notorious recluse... did he actually have a lover?

Aris’s eyes lit up before she huffed. “I don’t know whether to be happy about that or not. Means I can’t ask Third about gaining him as a new child.”

"I assume he and his scientist teams would have ... what do you call it? _Dibs_ on that man first."

“Yeah, I guess.” Too bad, Gio was _cute_. “I’ll go see if Yuri managed those drinks.”

"Enjoy your party, Aris." And he'd make sure he would enjoy himself as well. With that, he turned back to the ladies while Aris tracked down Yuri, standing where he promised with two glasses in hand. One held a fruity, colorful cocktail, another a simple dry martini for himself.

“Ah! Thank you, Yuri! You’re the best!” She accepted her drink happily, sipping on it.

For about half an hour, Aris got to enjoy the evening - until the DA-5 squad showed up. Krantz approached her with purpose in his steps. "Dr. Aris." The rest of the team was waiting outside to meet her.

“Kranz!” She hugged him, pulling him aside. “It seems that Twelfth has made... a bit of a bungle. I can’t let our sweet Takeo know I’m me, remember?”

"Right." He'd already wondered what she had planned. "So this party was not your order, after all?"

She shook her head. “No. I said I wanted you here, but...” She twirled her hand a bit. “You all are here as my birthday present!” She giggled.

Krantz's face did not move, but he still nodded. "Teira, was it?"

“Yes. Let’s go see if Ignes over there is willing to try and pretend to be me.” She sipped her cocktail.

Krantz wondered why she didn't just pretend to have left the party but didn't say anything. Instead, he just nodded and followed her lead.

“Hey~ Ignes~ think you could do me a favour?”

Ignes turned around, a glass of fizzy strawberry sparkling wine in hand. "Hmmmh. Maaaybe."

Aris giggled, drinking more of her own drink. “I need you to pretend to be me with my babies so I can keep my anonymity.”

"Pretend I'm you?" She remembered the presentation of some of the research that had gone into DA-5. They were of good quality.

“Yeah! One of my babies knows me as someone else, so...” She giggled again. “Can’t let him down, you know?”

"Oh. Okay. So I'm you now? Aris? Okay!" That sounded like a lot of fun, actually.

“You got it!” And then she could go with Kranz and hug her babies, using Ignes as a shield of sorts!

"Gotcha!" Ignes winked and raised her glass. "To _my_ birthday, then."

“To your birthday!” Aris giggled.

Krantz cleared his throat. "The squad is outside."

Aris giggled. "Well, Kranz." She looped an arm around one of his. "I guess you should lead us out."

He nodded and led the way. Some people were enjoying the pool area - the DA-5 stood near a quieter corner, waiting. When Krantz approached with the petite redhead on his arm... Takeo's eyes widened. "Teira!" Was this a cruel joke?!

"Onii-san!" She released Kranz and latched onto Takeo instead. "It's a cool party, right? Miss Aris brought me here." She gestured to Ignes. Well, where Ignes was supposed to be. "Oh. Did she not follow? She was supposed to."

"Dr. Aris must have seen someone important," Krantz nodded blandly while Takeo wrapped his 'sister' in a hug. "Are you alright? Do you feel well? Is it alright for you to come here?"

She giggled. "I'm fine! I'm well enough for a bit of fun once in a while, I think. So, um. These are your friends?"

"My ... friends. Yes." His squad mates, more like, but he did not want to worry his sweet sister. "If you feel off, you absolutely need to tell me, okay?"

“I will~!” She sing-songed, moving away from him to go hug his ‘friends’. “Thank you all for taking such good care of my onii-san!”

"Heya." Tao accepted the hug with an awkward pat on her back. "Nice to meet you in person, Teira."

“Nice to meet you too! Tao, right?”

"Yeah... how'd you know...?" He glance at Takeo who just gave a shrug.

“Miss Aris told me a bit when I asked about Onii-san’s friends!” So... she moved to hug the next person. “This one is Shark!”

"That's me," he confirmed. And Hammer. What a lovely little lady Takeo's sister was! And - "MY _BABIES_!", a woman gasped with a high-pitched voice. Ignes approached. "It is _I_ , Doctor Aris! _Your_ Maker!" She threw her long black hair over her shoulder. "I was soooo _worried_ you would not make it!"

Aris... did _not_ sound like that, did she? “Um! I remembered who they were, I think, Miss Aris. This one here’s Shark, that one’s Hammer, the one with the white stripe is Tao, and then there’s Mister Kranz and my dear onii-san, right?” She subtly instructed Ignes on who each member was.

"Why, _yes._ You remember them marvellously!!!" Ignes clasped her hands. She was clearly drunk and having a great time. "Come on, hug your _mommy_!"

Aris nodded to Kranz for him to give further order to them to do so. Tao, the good boy, seemed content to go ahead and hug Ignes, at least.

Ignes almost squeezed the air out of him before moving on. Dr. Aris sure was a _strong_ woman. Yuri and Crombel were content watching from afar and with a great measure of amusement.

Aris moved back to Kranz for a moment while Shark and Takeo moved to hug 'Aris'. "Kranz. After the hug session is over, find Fourth and tell him his daughter is drunk. He'll be the man who looks like Ignes. Got a bit of scruff and standard white-and-gold uniform."

Kranz nodded obediently and left. "Now. My baaaabies." Ignes leaned against Shark for support. Oh, she felt kind of whoozy. "You should have the sparkly..."

"Um... Miss Aris? How much of the sparkly did you have?" Aris asked innocently.

"My, _Teira_ you cute little bubblegum, I, Doctor Aris, had plenty of sparkly blubbly juice!" She giggled.

"Umm... that's a _lot_ of alcohol. Are you okay?" She swivelled back and forth as if concerned.

"Oh I'm _great!_ " She laughed and gestured at Tao. "I want more."

"More hugs?" She tilted her head innocently. Hopefully, Fourth would be here soon.

"Then come here!" She reached for the real Aris for a hug. "You're so _pretty_."

"... Thank you...?" She awkwardly put her arms around Ignes as well.

Luckily, Kranz returned with Roctis in tow. " _Ignes,_ " he started sternly, not pleased at all. "Noooo." She giggled, squeezing Aris a bit harder. "I am Dr. Aris."

"Um. Miss Aris, you're squeezing me a bit tightly." Aris breathed out.

"Doctor. Don't hurt her, please -" Takeo stepped up, obviously concerned, and Ignes released Aris with a laugh. "We're going," Roctis announced and reached for Ignes' arm. "Noooo. It's my birthday!"

What kind of enhancements did Ignes have? Wasn't she just the child of an Elder, given a position as a scientist out of nepotism? Aris rubbed her side where it would likely bruise. Well. "Um. Why don't the rest of us go enjoy the party?" She offered the DA-5. Kranz would order them if necessary, she knew. Best draw attention from the scene that would occur between Fourth and Ignes.

"So that's Aris..." Takeo frowned. "She's...."

“She’s what, onii-chan?” She asked, arms locked around both him and Kranz.

"Jolly," Tao replied, deciding to be diplomatic in everyone's name.

Aris giggled at that. "With subordinates like you all, does she have any reason not to be?"

"It's strange we never met her in person, though," Shark noted. "Anyway. Let's hit the bar."

"Okay!" She leaned into Takeo a bit more, playing up her weak little sister routine.

Before they all could get drinks, however, Ignes came back, almost pouncing on Aris for one last hug - and they both fell into the pool, Aris enveloped in Ignes' crushing embrace in the azure waters of 12th's beautiful californian pool. Somewhere else, Maduke was crushed by the structural collapse of the high security facility where he hid his greatest crimes. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Ugh. Fuck!" Aris frowned into the mirror before admonishing herself. "No-no. Bad words should never come from a pretty girl's mouth!" She frowned deeper. "What?" What... what had happened? Had she just died?

A knock against the bathroom door. Another. "Hey! You gonna take long?!", a man shouted.

"Just a minute!" She slapped some water on her neck, lecturing herself some more. "No frowning either. A pretty woman smiles!" Moments later, she opened the door. "I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

Her question was met with a dismissive wave as two men, one blond and the other white-haired, simply pushed into the bathroom past her.

Aris sighed, walking forward into the room her party was happening in. This was... so surreal. What was going on? That exact thing had happened before!

As she wondered, Ignes approached. "Happy Birthday!" And ready to unleash confetti on her.

Aris sidestepped the confetti neatly. "It's pretty! But not good for hair." She giggled. "How has the party been for you, Ignes?"

".... Oh." She looked rather disappointed at that. She had prepared such nice confetti! "It's a lot of fun! I _love_ the bubbly stuff they got. What's it called again? Champagne?"

"Champagne! Yes. Oh, you might want to go easy on that, Ignes. Too much can make you do silly things!"

"Silly?" She tilted her head questioningly.

"Yeah! Like... hmm. Dancing on the tables!"

"Sounds like fun." She giggled. "Father would hate it. But okay. I guess I'll hold back a bit."

“Let’s go find something less alcoholic, shall we?”

"Alrighty~," she singsang and went along with Aris.

The bartender seemed cute enough. "Hey, can we please get a couple of Shirley Temples? My friend here had a bit too much but we still need something nice to drink~!" Aris requested. The evening was lovely - too bad she slipped on the stairs and broke her neck during the fall. At the same time, Maduke suffocated on a piece of bone that got stuck in his airways.

* * *

Awful. Next time he died, he hoped it would be fast. Maduke took a deep breath before stepping away from the sink. He got dressed and summoned Zaiga for brunch. The Lord liked his long mornings. "Zaiga. You know I always considered you a loyal and trustworthy friend," he began.

"You flatter me, Lord," he responded. Oldest friend or not, even he was not allowed to address the Lord otherwise.

Maduke ran his index finger along the rim of his coffee cup. "Something strange is happening. Strange, mysterious, and absolutely amazing."

"Please, elaborate, Lord."

"I keep on dying. And each time I die, it's this fine Monday again."

Zaiga looked... distinctly uncomfortable with the prospect of that. It sounded impossible, but he'd trained with the shaman to gain this level of aura control. "Have you spoken with the shaman about it?"

"No." He was absolutely not going to. "I'm enjoying myself. It's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Death... is not always what it seems, my Lord. If this is some sort of time loop, I do not believe it is actually _stopping_ time." This was... far beyond his ken. But he could try and explain based on what mysticism he did know.

He felt distinctly irritated with that. "Now I regret telling you because whatever fun I'll get up to the next time, I'll still remember you saying that. And you won't even know you dampered my enjoyment of this situation."

Zaiga frowned. "I do not mean to. But a scenario like you describe isn't a joke. You might even be on some sort of trial from the Moonmother."

"Then doing whatever the fuck I want because there's literally no repercussions for anything I do is not the best choice?" Because of course he'd gone to town. "Also, by now I'm sure it'll never be Thursday or Friday again. I usually die by Wednesday morning." Maybe precisely because he was being an even worse person than usual.

"Wednesday morning?"

"Yes. Last time, I died tomorrow morning. Choked on a bone. Oh. Another time I died in a plane crashing when I was on my way to twelfth's party. Lunark really thought I was suicidal." He laughed at that. This whole situation was just too hilarious.

Zaiga actually laughed at that one. "Oh? What did she do about it?"

"Said she's there for me." He chuckled. "And then jumped out of the falling plane to save herself five minutes later."

He snorted. "So much for being there for you."

"I told her I'd abdicate on Friday and that she can have my dagger collection if we make it to the party. Oh, Zaiga, this truly is the best thing ever. I can do and say _anything._ No one remembers a thing."

Zaiga gave a tight smile. If his old friend _was_ on trial, then he was failing brilliantly.

"My life is pretty much the same day over and over anyway. This is a blessing in comparison." He took a sip of coffee. "Maybe I'll tell you to shave off your beard next time."

“Please do not. You know why I keep it like this.” He sighed. “Lord... we are friends. Close ones. I truly do believe this isn’t the carte blanche you’re treating it as. Sometime, someway, something is going to change. And not necessarily for the better.”

"Alright. What do you think this is?" He definitely wasn't going to see the shaman so zaiga was his best bet.

“I... can’t say for sure. But I believe this is a trial from the Moonmother. And only you will be able to puzzle out what it means.” Zaiga nodded. “There is no other being with this degree of power over life and death.”

"But if this is, hypothetically, a test... Then I really have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

"I would not know either. What do you believe you would be tested on?" Zaiga stroked his beard. Maybe he was supposed to keep his children? But then, why loop here instead of closer to when they were born?

"I don't know." He picked up a croissant from the basket of baked goods. "I think the first time around, I died on... Wednesday. And I don't actually remember what happened exactly."

"Hmm... well, there has to be a cause to you dying. Maybe you're supposed to fix something? Do something?"

"I didn't exactly do much in those two days."

"Nothing notable at all?"

"There's the summit. I think I attended it." Whether he made it there and whether anything happened... That was another question.

"The summit. So... try making it there. Perhaps you'll find answers."

Maduke hummed. "Alright. The summit it is."

"Good luck, my friend. I have a feeling you will need it."

"No kidding. I don't want to die of suffocation again." That was pretty horrid.

"That's... horrifying." Zaiga frowned. "Here's hoping that you have better deaths, at least." If it was a trial, there was no stopping them.

"Who knows. Maybe I'm dead and this is a pretty poorly designed punishment." And his laughter turned into coughs.

"... Lord?" Zaiga asked, concerned.

Oh No. Oh no no no no this was not where croissants were meant to go. "Za-" His face turned red. Shit! Not like this! Zaiga stood, knocking his chair back in his rush to get to the other side of the table. _Shit!_

Several thousand miles to the east, Aris slipped and cracked her skull open against the edge of a coffee table.

* * *

"Fuck!" She breathed heavily as she stared into the mirror. What the fuck. What the fuck? What the fuck!? This was not normal and not okay! With trembling hands, she stepped away from the sink, opening the door.

"Finally!", a blond man huffed at her and pushed past her into the bathroom with his white-haired companion as Ignes approached, confetti ready. "Happy Birthday!"

"Iggy I need your help with something," she interrupted.

".... Huh?" She tilted her head, some confetti spilling on the floor.

"Come on, let's go somewhere private to talk." Aris grabbed her hand. If nothing else, she'd at least have a girlfriend confidante.

"Okay." Ignes simply released the two fists full of confetti and let Aris drag her somewhere quieter.

"So. For some reason, I keep _dying_ and I have _no idea why_."

"Uhm, are you okay....?" Ignes tilted her head.

"No I'm not okay! I've died three different time in the past few... future... days!" She hissed.

"... But you're here? Talking to me?"

"Nonono! It's... it's a time loop, see? Remember that time I made you watch Groundhog Day with me?"

"Uhm. Maybe. It was weird." She just enjoyed getting to spend time with people like a normal person.

"Okay, so. I keep dying, and then I'm suddenly back in the bathroom here at my party. Over and over again. I've only managed to survive to tomorrow." She frowned. "You drowned us the first time because you were drunk and wanted a hug."

"... What? That doesn't sound like -" Actually, who could tell what she would do when drunk? She was strong. "But you're _here._ "

“Because it’s a _time loop!”_ Didn’t she just say that?

"But how would that even work?"

“I don’t know! But it’s happening and I don’t like it! Yester- _tomorrow_ I cracked my head open on the counter trying to get a cup of coffee!”

"Oh. That's..." Ignes rubbed her head. "I don't remember anything."

Aris sighed. “Well, you’re probably not part of the loop then.”

"Uhm. Okay. I never really heard of anything like this." Maybe Uncle Zarga would know something? She couldn't imagine Lagus knowing the specifics of how time worked. Siriana at least had some roots with mysticism.

“Well, neither have I. So that’s two of us.”

"Uhm. So. You say you die. And then you're in the bathroom again?"

"Yeah. Why there? I have no clue."

"And.. you were not just... I don't know... daydreaming?"

"Why would I daydream dying? And I _clearly_ felt how badly each time hurt. Drowning? Actually hurts _a lot!"_

"What do I know! _Compulsive_ daydreaming?" She sighed. "We could ask my uncle, I guess."

"Your uncle?" Aris asked.

"Yeah. He's here." Of course Uncle Zarga was networking here.

"Okay." Well, couldn't hurt to meet him, she supposed.

They made their way back to the main party and over to where Zarga and Muar were talking quietly. "Uuuuuncle," Ignes sing-sang. "Do you have a moment for your _favourite_ niece?"

"My only niece," he replied dryly, but nodded still. "What can I do for you?"

"Aris seems to be having some _weird_ troubles." She giggled. "Said something about a time loop and having died three times?"

"... How about we go outside?", he suggested, blinking a few times. "Seventh, are you -", Muar started but got shot down. "We'll continue the conversation later."

"Should I go grab Aris too?" Ignes asked.

"Obviously." He assumed the petite redhead must be Aris, the girl with death problems.

"Kay!" She waltzed over and grabbed Aris's hand to lead her outside. Nice and soft. Aris was a pretty girl. It would be nice if... but no. This was good too. Friends were good.

Zarga led them outside on the veranda overlooking the pool area. "So. What was that about dying and coming back?", he started.

Aris took a deep breath. "So. I believe myself stuck in a time loop. I've died... three times that I can count so far. The first time she," she gestured to Ignes, "got drunk and drowned the two of us. The second time I slipped down some stairs and broke my neck. The third I slipped and cracked my head open on one of the counters. And I always end up back in the bathroom as the loop start."

Zarga raised an eyebrow. "And you have vivid memories of that?"

“I wish I didn’t, but yes.” Uncharacteristically, she frowned, a hand threading into her hair.

"That sounds like... I'd need to consult my library." Which was still in Lukedonia, unfortunately.

“So you know what this is?!”

"No. There might be a book that knows. Except I no longer have access to those books. The union doesn't have the right diplomatic ties."

“Oh.” She huffed. Well, fuck!

"Especially since we are not those specialised on death." Zarga rubbed his chin. Sure, he was intrigued, but... "If I killed you now..."

“I would end up in the bathroom again. Please don’t it hurts a lot. I will trade _anything_ for you to not do that.” She batted her eyes at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "I want to know what happens to everyone else, though."

“We can talk this out in private if you want?” She swivelled back and forth, going back into her usual doll persona.

Zarga nodded. Well. She was cute and he was bored and this was bound to be interesting either way. Aris reached for his hand with a giggle. Well. He was cute! “I admit I’ve had my eye on you for a while now.” Just like all of the hot Elders.

"You did?" He questioned while Ignes groaned in annoyance. " _Uncle!_ "

“Well. Yeah. You’re rather hot, if you haven’t noticed.” She pulled him away. “Got that ‘sexy tired dad at three-am’ look going. And you pull it off marvellously.”

Zarga just ignored his niece in favour of the undying girl - and within the hour, she was gone and far away, Maduke found another sudden end.


	3. Chapter 3

"Fuck!" What the fuck was that!? They were having a nice time and then... he'd snapped her neck! On purpose! Aris stormed out of the bathroom, looking for the man to give him a piece of her mind. That was _not_ how you treated a lady! Two men pushed past her into the bathroom and Ignes' 'happy birthday!' went ignored. Zarga was speaking to two of the guests, blissfully unaware of what was coming.

“Hey! What is wrong with you?!” Aris tapped her foot angrily as she came to a halt. Zarga turned around slowly, red eyes narrowing minutely. “No! Don’t give me that face! I told you I was stuck in a time loop and you killed me! _Deliberately!_ You don’t treat a lady like that! Ignes at least killed me by _accident!”_

He raised an eyebrow. "Cut back on the drinks, young lady." With that, he turned back to his conversation partner.

“Hey! No. You said something about your library last time. I want to know more.”

"My library?" That actually caught his attention. "Let's go talk outside."

"... I'm getting Ignes. And Yuri. I'm not risking being alone with you after last time."

"I don't even know who you are." But he was a bored man so it was okay **.**

"That didn't stop you from sleeping with me and killing me immediately after." She waved a finger at him, turning to go find her two 'guardians'. That was... He was stood outside with a glass of whiskey when Aris returned, Yuri and Ignes in tow.

"Okay! So. Last time, I'd explained the time loop and how I'd died three times- four now, thanks to you- and you mentioned you'd have more information in your library. But that you no longer had access to those books because of a lack of diplomatic ties." Aris explained, completely ignoring Ignes and Yuri.

"Time loop?" He repeated.

She sighed, explaining the whole thing just as she did last time. "And then I took you somewhere private for a while and you snapped my neck. Rude!"

"I wonder if there's another universe where I did that," he mused. "I, in any case, don't remember killing you." "Neither do I." Ignes huffed.

"Ignes, you were plastered. I don't think you'd have remembered it anyway. Besides, we'd both have drowned." As far as she knew.

"... Right." No, she totally wouldn't have, but that was besides the point. "I bet I got in so much trouble for this," she mused.

Oh, Aris hoped so. Fourth had already been pretty pissed off that she was drunk to begin with. "So. Library?"

"Library," Zarga repeated. "It's in my old homeland, only I can fully access all of it, and we have no means of getting there."

She huffed. “Know any other way of getting information on this then?”

" _If_ what you say is true... and _if_ this happened before... then who can tell if this is a timeline where someone who experienced this wrote it down?"

“I am a _lot_ of things, but I have no reason to lie here. What would I even gain from this?” She whined. “I just want to not die and not be stuck in a loop if I do!”

"Doctor Aris, did you accept any unknown or uncertain substances from anyone at this party?" Yuri inquired.

“I have not. I could use a drink though.” This _sucked!_ “My only lead to solving this and it only _maybe_ exists and is somewhere I can’t reach.”

"You are Dr. Aris? Twelfth's division?" Zarga inquired. "I'll discuss possibilities with Fourth and we'll see about getting back to you on that."

“Yes! Both of those things are correct! Thank you!” She swivelled back and forth happily, cheered by his easy acceptance. “Ah. You... believed me on this very easily. Even Ignes had trouble the first time I told her. Why accept so fast?” Though, Ignes _had_ said they should talk to him about it when she did believe her.

"Because all kinds of wondrous things can be true in this world." He, as a clan leader of the nobles, should not be so quick to dismiss possibilities. Especially due to the Siriana's ties into mysticism beyond the very practical aural magic of the Elenor.

Aris hummed. “Fair enough!” At least he wasn’t trying to kill her this time!

"You should take particular care of yourself. It seems you are prone to accidents."

“I wasn’t before now. It’s so strange!”

"All the more reason to be careful," he stated.

Yuri just nodded, placing a hand against Aris' back like a chivalrous protector. "I will take care of that," he assured.

“Aww, I can always count on you, Yuri!” He was the best assistant! Just the best!

He just wondered whether he and Crombel could actually profit from this in any way. Zarga considered her for a few moments. "We'll contact you if a decision has been made."

“I’ll be waiting!” Ah. “Yuri, which do you think would be better right now? A drink, or some coffee?”

"All things considered, I think you could use a drink," he replied frankly, watching Ignes and Zarga walk off.

“So you _do_ believe me now!” She swivelled a bit before enveloping him in a hug.

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "I simply thing you could use a drink to calm down, Doctor."

"Now Yuri, like I said. There's no profit in me lying about this. I'm a lot of things. But there's profit in all I do." She giggled. "Don't I even carefully choose my babies to be the best?"

"Not _lying._ " No, just plain insane, really.

Not lying. Not lying. It clicked. “You think I’m crazy.” Her cheeks puffed out.

"I think you had a long, exciting past few days, weeks, months, years - and could use a little downtime."

“Yuu~rii~i! How could you! You _know_ that’s not how that works!” If she _was_ having delusions, rest was no cure!

"And how does it work?" And should the insane decide how they should be treated?

“Rest doesn’t help that! You need medicine!” Duh. “Hallucinations might be helped, maybe. But delusions?”

"... You know, I heard Dr. Crombel is a very skilled man with medicines."

She scoffed. “I wouldn’t trust him if he and I were the only people on earth and he had the cure to a deadly disease I caught.” _Gross_.

"Alright." Maybe another time. "I am simply worried about your well-being."

“My well-being is... fine. For now.” She huffed. “This whole thing _really_ put a damper on my mood.” She was being _decidedly_ un-doll-like and it wasn’t good for her image!

"Let's get you a drink and maybe someone who'll give you a massage," he suggested.

“Okay.” Both of those things sounded nice. And somehow, she survived all the way until Wednesday.

* * *

The summit. She didn’t know _why_ Twelfth wanted her here, but it seemed she was to go. At least Seventh and Fourth would be there as well. Perhaps they’d have finally come to a decision. She needed the help. “Yuri. Do you think my babies are sad they didn’t get to see me?”

"Maybe. But they are on stand-by not too far away." So... there was that at least. If Aris needed protecting, for any reason, they were around.

“Oh! They’re here?!” She swivelled back and forth happily. “Did Twelfth bring Cerberus? Are they getting along with my babies okay?”

"Maybe? I noticed that Fourth, Sixth and Seventh didn't bring any squads with them."

"They didn't? What about the others?" She asked.

"Fifth, Second and First I haven't seen yet. But the other elders and most of the other scientists or otherwise important people have their own squads.

"Did Fourth at least bring Ignes?" So she could have a girlfriend to talk to?

"I'll be on the lookout." He didn't know all Elders, obviously, and especially not everyone underneath.

“I can always count on you, Yuri!” Ah. Maybe she should _reward_ him, sometime? Or would that be out of line for their work relationship?

He nodded dullly and followed her. In this large hotel, completely booked out just for them, they should find the convention center hall where everyone was supposed to gather in an hour. Until then, though... Aris was free to explore.

“So, what should we do?” She walked along the hall from where they’d gotten their rooms.

"You mentioned Ignes." He was rather surprised that there was such a relevant union member he'd barely heard about before. Like a wellkept secret.

“Yeah! Fourth’s daughter.”

He raised an eyebrow. "I must admit, I do see the resemblance."

“Mhmm. She’s into science and medicine as well. Same branch as me, even! So she’s studying under Ninth right now.”

"Ah. The leader of the union's research operations." Yuri nodded. That woman would probably be an elder one day, at this rate.

“Yup. Ignes is pretty well set-up. Rather awkward girl though. I had to talk her into wearing her hair down in general. Before she kept it in some weird, old-fashioned looking braids that didn’t suit her at all!

"I think I remember." He'd just started out as Aris' assistant, then.

“Anyhow, she’s the closest thing I have to a friend here, so might as well have some girl time, right?” She giggled.

Yuri nodded. "Then I'll go say hello to some acquaintances."

“Ah... help me find her first?” She asked worriedly.

"Vey well then." He followed her around - and stopped. "I think those two might be..." An imposing man with piercing yellow eyes and a brown haired woman with luminous pink eyes. Their energy was absolutely unlike any other here at the summit. "I've heard that the Second and Fifth Elders are pretty remarkable."

“Remarkable?” She asked for clarification. They were quite striking, that was for sure. The woman, sure. But the man was... “If he had eyebrows he might well be _perfect!”_

Yuri snorted. "Noticeable." He didn't know what distinguished them otherwise.

“Think they’re wearing contacts? Or did they get enhancements to make their eyes that colour?” Like she’d done with Takeo’s formerly almost-black ones and her own gold shade.

"Probably?" He doubted anyone had such eyes naturally. "Like Ignes?" Red eyes weren't exactly natural either.

Ignes... “Both parent and child got the same eye enhancement? Oh. Seventh is her uncle, by the way. So that makes three.” Weird. Maybe the family just liked red eyes?

"Talk about family look," he muttered. Fifth was a gorgeous woman, actually. But they should get back to looking for Ignes.

Aris giggled. “Right?” She continued on, resuming their search.

Unfortunately, Ignes was nowhere near this floor and Yuri just sighed. "How about we get a drink at the bar, for a start?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Something light, I think. Don't want my judgement impaired~" That would be bad. Yuri nodded and led her back to the elevator - and they made it in just in time, finding themselves with the two enigmatic elders with colorful eyes and two diplomats.

Smalltalk, maybe? "So, what divisions do you two lead?" Aris asked them. Like how Ninth was in charge of scientific research, or how Twelfth, and therefore her own division, were in charge of military.

"Classified," Lunark replied for both of them. "And the South-Americas and Middle East." Though their main work was, of course, speaking for their people.

"Oh hey! You do have eyebrows!" Aris exclaimed of the man. "Have you considered darkening them a bit? It'd really bring out your overall facial structure."

Maduke's eyes narrowed slightly. Who had given her permission to speak to him, anyway? Lunark suppressed a chuckle, though she could not banish the amused glint from her eye.Aris blushed and giggled. Aww, cute! Like Shark's mad expressions! "Doctor Aris, by the way. Twelfth's military research division." She settled against the back of the elevator.

"Lunark," the woman introduced herself. No reason not to. It was just a name.

"Nice to meet you! Which of you is Fifth Elder and which of you is Second, by the way? You came here together and my assistant didn't specify which was which."

"I am the Fifth," Lunark replied. Which meant that her companion was pretty much one of the most important people in the Union.

“Okay!” She stopped speaking with a smile. She’d gotten what information she’d need for them for the foreseeable future. Halfway to the skylounge top bar, the elevator stopped. Great. Yuri sighed. "Marvelous," he mumbled and pressed the help button. Aris frowned. This... this was bad. Was she fated to die here? Again? And she'd _just_ managed to survive until Wednesday! No!

For a few moments nothing happened - then, the lights turned red as the elevator started moving again - fast downwards, which sent Yuri and the diplomats into a state of panic. The doors opening randomly didn't exactly help."Fuck! Fuck! Yuri, I don't want to die again!" Aris sobbed.

"Me neither," Maduke replied dryly, speaking up for the first time, and simply used a carefully moderated push of aura. He'd sat in his room for two days to make it to Wednesday. Lunark jumped up and seized the loose rope that was supposed to keep them up. A few seconds later, the falling elevator came to a halt just in time. "Is everyone alright?", Lunark called, holding the rope to keep them up. Aris slowly stood from where she'd crouched down, looking at Lunark in shock. Just how strong was she to be able to do that? "Ye-yes." She looked to Maduke, slowly registering what he'd said. Him too? He was going through this as well? But he didn't seem fussed about this at all.

Lunark began pulling, slowly bringing them up until Maduke told her to stop. They were at a floor door now - with measured force, he pushed the hydraulic steel doors open so they could step out of the elevator. "Ladies first."

She nodded slowly, leaving the elevator. This... she was going to survive this.Once everyone left, Maduke stepped out - and caught the elevator's top frame when Lunark let go. That way, she could get out safely herself. Then, he just let the elevator fall.

"How did you _do_ that?" She asked the two excitedly. They must have some _amazing_ enhancements to be able to pull off that much strength with such ease!

Her question was just met with a small smile. As if he'd divulge their secrets. All turned towards the stairs, Maduke and Aris both a few steps ahead - and into the electrified puddle that electrocuted both of them.

* * *

"Fuck!" Maduke's hands tightened around the rim of the sink. He was back in his bathroom. He was back to Monday. But this woman... Twelfth's division. The birthday. Maduke took a deep breath and got dressed. And once he was done... "Juraki, call Lunark. We're attending a party. Have her bring flowers and meet me at the eastern beach post."

“Yes, Lord.” He did just that. “So, you decided to attend the party after all?” Lunark asked, flowers in hand just as requested. “I went ahead and had the jet prepared.” That was his preferred method of travel.

"No. We're going ourselves. The crash will be inconvenient."

“Crash?” But okay. That was fine.

"The moonmother is fucking with me and I'm not going to just let that happen," he summed up. They'd go the old, traditional way.

“And here I thought our Moonmother was supposed to be a benevolent goddess,” Lunark joked. “Shall we go then?”

They crossed the seas and parts of the lands until they managed to arrive at the party, welcomed like Gods, given their incredibly high status in the union. Twelfth had not expected they would come at all - maybe Lunark, but Maduke himself? "I am looking for the lucky guest of honour," he stated, holding up the slightly shaken flowers. Twelfth nodded and headed out to find Aris.

Aris was in the garden, _once again_ explaining things to Ignes, Yuri, and Seventh. “And that’s how I died the fifth time.”

Zarga's attention snapped away from her when he noticed... How interesting. The Lord of werewolves actually had bothered coming here? "Doctor Aris," Twelfth started. "The Second and Fifth Elders of the Union have come to congratulate you."

“Oh! Thank you! It’s good to see you both here!” They hadn’t attended before!

Maduke stepped forward. "I heard you're quite... _electrifying,_ " He stated, offering her the flowers.

She giggled, accepting them. “Not my favourite way to go. I just got done explaining to these three what happened. You are looping too, then?” She gave no care to anyone who might not know. It wasn’t like the knowledge would stay and you never knew who might be able to help.

He gave a nod. Huh. Then it was actually worth, coming here, though he was rather puzzled as to why... "Yes. And I am not exactly prone to unfortunate accidents, usually."

“Neither am I! But somehow, I can’t stop having them! Did you record your time of deaths? I did!”

"No." He did not really bother with timekeeping at all. "It's always back to this day, though."

"Same for me, right back into the bathroom!" She huffed. "Fate could _at least_ start me somewhere more comfortable."

Twelfth glanced back and forth between them. "... Should we... leave?" They clearly must know each other, even if what they said made no sense.

“No, it’s fine. I know you don’t get it.” Aris patted Twelfth’s arm. “Basically I’m stuck in a time loop that ends when I die either a few hours or days from now and it’s today again!”

Maduke turned to Lunark. "Me too. I told you, the Moonmother is fucking with me. Now go and enjoy the party."

“Um... okay...” That was... so weird. “I’ll go do that then.” Lunark dearly wished she could drink at a time like this.

Zarga gestured for Ignes and Yuri to leave as well. "If you two are stuck in this loop... then you might be a greater help to each other than us." And with that, he'd rather go back to the party.

“Wha?” So no library? She pouted. _Fine._

Maduke turned to her once they were alone. "So. It seems we keep dying."

She nodded. “I would really prefer not to be. Dying _hurts!”_

"Interesting. I find this to be the best thing that's ever happened to me, actually." There was no harm in admitting it.

“You wouldn’t rather just live? I can’t continue my research if I’m stuck constantly dying. I mean. I can just memorise my notes- I have an eidetic memory- but still!”

"But I _am_ living. I am free to do whatever I want with no consequence."

She hummed. If that was what he considered life, then more power to him. “I want to stop dying, at least. If you want to stay in the loop, that’s fine. But I want out. **”**

"I thought getting to the summit might be the key but apparently it wasn't."

“No? Seems getting to here was.” She giggled. Now they just had to figure out how to get out.

"Oh. The first time I tried, our plane crashed. About... five times ago."

“Ignes drowned me then.”

"The plane crashed and I didn't bother getting out."

“Did you die the first night the second time as well? And then in the morning the third?”

Maduke nodded. "It's not so bad when it's quick."

"We're dying at the same time."

He raised a brow like that. "And why?"

"Dunno." She shrugged. "What possible links could we even have?"

"Exactly none that I could think of. Your superior is Cuban, is he not? Surely he must have provided decent cigars here."

"Yeah. This way! Twelfth already gave me the tour of the place." So she knew where the good stuff was.

He followed her. Once he had cigars, they sat down in a quiet, comfortable corner. The couches were of fine, soft leather. Good quality. "Do you smoke too?"

"No. Don't like how it yellows the teeth. Blech." She shook her head. He shrugged and just lit his. Perfectly fine teeth with fangs sharper than normal in humans.

“So. What has this been for you, then?”

"As I said, the best thing that ever happened."

“Yeah. But...” Her cheeks inflated. “I was wanting specifics!”

"Specifics?" He puffed his cigar. "I'm a pretty fucked up man who can finally do fucked up things in peace.”

She could have laughed. “You’re a _Union Elder_. There’s nothing even stopping a scientist like me doing what I want!”

That actually made him laugh. "Maybe your wants are too harmless, doll."

She hummed. What could he possibly be into that was overly harmful? “I think it’s more that my wants happen to align with Union needs.” She giggled. “Liking to play with men’s bodies, moulding them to my liking... well, you can see how I suit my job!”

"Ah. Right. You're a researcher."

“A _specific_ one! Unlike some, who want to study how to give humans non-human abilities, mine seeks to integrate technology to enhance instead.”

"There's a difference?" As far as he knew, other union members didn't have access to werewolf and noble materials in the first place.

_”_ _Yes.”_ She giggled. “We do have standardised measures in place for replicating vampiric strength artificially. Most people are just trying to improve on those standards. But I think that a bit trite. Why bother with trying to act like another race when we have our own strengths?”

Maduke snorted. "Own strengths?"

“Our minds. I don’t see anyone other than humans coming up with these technologies.” So it had to be something only humans could do.

"No one other than humans _needs_ these technologies." Even though many of them were convenient, he'd concede that.

“That doesn’t disprove my point, you realise?”

"Humans come up with all those technologies _because_ they need them. It doesn't mean that they're the only ones with this _potential._ "

She doubted that. “If you say so.”

"But the truth is this: humans will never reach this kind of power." That's why he and the nobles were in the union, after all. Ensuring that from within.

“... You speak as if you are not one.” Her eyes narrowed as she regarded him suspiciously.

Maduke just kept smoking innocently, an amused glint to his eye. "Now don't worry about that."

“Don’t worry? Of course I’m going to be upset if there’s going to be someone possibly sabotaging my research!” Because _of course_ she could reach higher levels than this!

"What research?" He laughed. "You're stuck in this timeloop too."

“Not the point!”

"Do I look like a man who could sabotage research?" He snorted.

“You are an Elder. You have power and clout to affect many different things. If you took a dislike to me, not even Twelfth being my benefactor could save my position.” She huffed. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m not stupid.”

"Oh, don't you worry. Your research is perfectly within my interests." Technology... There was not much of a point in working in traits werewolves already possessed naturally. But technology...

Fine. As long as he wasn't interfering. "So. If you _weren't_ a human, what kind of being would you be? I rather fancy that I'd be an android modelled after porcelain dolls." Just like she kind of tried to be!

"I can certainly see the look you're going for," he confirmed.

"It's cute, right!? I love this aesthetic!" She giggled. "What kind are you going for?"

"I am not going for anything." That's just how he was.

"No? You're not fond of any particular aesthetic?" She'd have thought maybe he was emo with how his hair was.

"I am my own aesthetic, so to say." As if he would _follow_ trends.

"Fair enough. You didn't answer my question, by the way."

"I'd remain who I am."

Boring. How did anyone put up with this man? He was no fun, even if he was cute.Maduke finished his cigar. "Now, if you will excuse me... since there is clearly no link between us, I shall go and enjoy my undyingness."

Asshole! He wasn't even worth a lay. Whatever. She was going to go find Yuri. He was at least reliable.Yuri spoke to Crombel in a quiet corner - and both pulled away when they noticed Aris' approach. They seemed to know each other quite well.

Aris raised an eyebrow, backing away a bit. "You seem comfortable."

"We just don't want to bother others with loud conversations," Yuri assured.

"Happy birthday, Dr. Aris," Crombel started congenially.

She smiled tightly. "Why thank you, Dr. Crombel." The ass who _really_ thought replicating non-human abilities was going to work. See where the idiot was now. Most of his _precious_ M-series was dead, weren't they?

"Are you enjoying your party?"

"I am, thanks. I'll leave you two to it." Yuri could no longer be trusted with information. Not if he was going to slink off and have private conversations with Crombel. _Especially_ when Yuri knew how much Aris disliked the man.

Meanwhile, Maduke found his way to Lunark who had a drink that wouldn't help her. "Look at all those uninteresting people."

“Uninteresting? I found several of them lovely to have conversation with. That Tao fellow who keeps fiddling with his laptop in the corner, for example.”

He ordered a triple whiskey because it wasn't like he could get drunk anyway. "Maybe later."

Later? As in, speak to Tao later? “How did things go with your... ‘looping buddy’?”

"Oh she's not really interesting. There's not really anything that might connect us. As I told Zaiga a couple of deaths ago, if the Moonmother wanted to test me, she'd design a better test."

“And you’re not even the least bit worried about the effects of this on the space-time continuum?” What little she knew about it from journals... this would have a massive impact, right?

"Should I?" He asked, sipping at his whiskey.

_”_ _Yes?_ Have you not considered this could end existence in general?” Which meant an end to the werewolves as well.

"As if my death would end a whole universe. Not even _I_ think that highly of myself."

“Not your death. The time loop. This... whatever it is... it’s not natural.”

"It's not like I am dying on purpose. I keep having annoying accidents. There's a great difference."

“Fair enough.”

"Plane crashes, electrocution, structural collapses, choking on my breakfast - to name a few! Not exactly things I am prone to, are they?"

“I would hope not, Lord.”

"Exactly. I told you. The moonmother is _fucking_ with me and the only lead I have is this human doll."

“... Right.” She took a deep swing of her drink, looking for all the world like she’d rather be anywhere else.

"Actually..." He left again to go look for this Aris. She was cute, actually, and he was bored.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a somewhat nsfw chapter, proceed at own discretion :)

Aris drank her own fruity drink by herself in a corner. Yuri the betrayer. She’d never have guessed if she hadn’t seen it for herself! Maybe she should go see if Ignes was up for some girl-time. There she was. Maduke had grabbed a glass of champagne on the way and approached her once more. "I've been thinking. And wondering. Maybe there's a reason it's you. And me."

She hummed. “We wouldn’t be stuck in a time loop otherwise.” She took a massive swig of her drink.

He sat down next to her, placing an arm on the backrest. "I'm glad I'm stuck with a charming lady, then."

Aris giggled. “Strike out with someone else?” He’d seemed eager to get away before.

"No. Apart from my protégé bringing up the time-space-continuum... Which is probably disturbed by this."

“It probably is, yes,” Aris confirmed. “Not much we can do about that though. And that discounts the possibility that we even still exist within normal time, such as it might be.”

"Maybe _we_ are supposed to do something in order to stop it. Because between the luxury of neverending immunity and the end of the universe... I guess I'd have to sacrifice this freedom."

“To be fair, ending the universe would likely remove your never ending immunity as well.”

"Hm, yes. I fear so too." He leaned back, slightly turned towards her still. An attentive man. "The question is just... what might it be?" He brushed a lock of her auburn hair aside, over her shoulder.

"Yes. I doubt it's anything like feelings. That would be silly. Some puzzle we're supposed to solve? Or..." She shook her head. "Look, I can tell you're trying to get into my pants. Let's just go, okay? I could use something to get my mind off of stuff."

Maduke laughed. "Why not? I think you must be the prettiest here."

She giggled. It was all in the aesthetic. "Come on. My room here is this way." She stood, leaving her drink where it was.

He set down his chamapgne as well and followed. This was going to be interesting.

She took him upstairs to her bedroom, perfection in white and shades of pastel rose and pink. This was her room and she had made sure it matched her aesthetic. “Well. You gonna show me what you’re made of?” Aris hopped backwards onto her bed- nice and soft, just how she liked it- and began unlacing her dress.

Though normally, Maduke really didn't bother with human women, he was willing to make an exception here and there. He began unbuttoning his coat slowly. "If it weren't your birthday, I might ask you to dance." Those were fun no matter the species.

Aris giggled. "If it _weren't_ my birthday? You make a habit of avoiding women then?"

"Oh, if it weren't your birthday, I wouldn't spare you the effort. I'd ask to see if this porcelain doll can move as prettily as she can sit."

"Oh, of course I can." Seductively, she stripped the dress off, leaving her only in her cute stockings, heels, and lingerie. You never knew when you'd meet someone cute or need to leave a cute corpse, so of course she dressed for the occasion every time.

Yellow eyes watched her, a predatory level of focus. Maduke discarded his coat and began with the buttons of his shirt, taking his time. She was daintier than his usual taste, but oh so sweet.

"So. Heels? Or no heels?" Should she keep them on or not?

"Heels" He didnt even need to think about that one.

She giggled, approaching to help with his buttons. "A little clothing goes a long way, doesn't it?"

Maduke hummed as he shrugged off his black shirt. Well defined muscles - a Lord must maintain top shape at all times. Though there was one detail that didn't even occur to him: werewolves had more muscle groups than humans.

Aris ran her hands over them curiously. She'd ask about these later. "My my, well defined, aren't you?"

Feeling her hands on his skin, he flexed his muscles for her. That was one of the few things that made human women enjoyable. Few human men ever reached their peak potential, physical and otherwise. "One must take good care of oneself."

“True.” She giggled, hands trailing down. What did he have below? If nothing else, she could tease him through his pants.

He placed his hand against the small of her back, pulling her closer against his body. Compared to the almost feverish heat of werewolf bodies, her skin felt pleasantly cooler against him. With his other hand, he tilted her face up by the chin.She smiled. Kisses were always nice, so she looked forward to it. Carefully unsnapping his pants, she reached in to stroke. Would this be different too?

While she got a feel of what he had to offer (and it wasn't particularly distinct from human anatomy), he leaned down so their mouths could meet in a kiss. He was holding back, an apex predator mindful to not get overly rough with the prey.

As the kiss deepened, she couldn’t help but note his tongue was odd. “You’re a bit bigger than average. Gonna help me get ready like a gentleman?”

Just a bit bigger than average? He didn't comment on that and simply lifted her up, hands on her ass. Slim and firm and featherlight. Whether he'd actually indulge her... Through all that perfume, lotions and gels, he couldn't discern her natural scent. Whether it appealed enough to dive face first into it **.** She giggled as she was lifted, hands tangling into his hair to keep balance. He set her down on the bed and lingered over her for a few moments before pulling away to actually undress. Then he could take care of her.She carefully removed her own lingerie. It wouldn’t do to have her cute things getting ripped.

What a delicious little muffin he'd have. With a predatory gleam in his eye, he joined her on the bed, kissing her neck and trailing downwards as his hand run up her inner thighs. A woman who clearly took good care of herself and her body.

Aris hummed in pleasure, pushing against him gently so she could flip him over, pressing his member against her stomach as she did. “Definitely above average. This thing reaches past my navel!” Men tended to like the comparison to her body, she knew. Drove them wild.

That got a throaty snicker from him. "And just how much of it can you take, doll?"

“Well. That depends on how well you get me ready. If I’m nice and slick... _all_ of it. Promise.”

Well if she made such promises... He grabbed her hips to flip them back over. "You got yourself a deal," he almost purred as he pulled her legs to rest on his shoulders as he trailed down. She must wash so frequently, she hardly had an actual scent at all - and that worked just fine for him.

His tongue... he was kind of unskilled, but she was more than happy to direct him around a bit. It felt... much bigger than a normal person's tongue. She noted that before she lost herself to her own enjoyment.

It wasn't too bad - while he wasn't exactly fanatical about it most of the time, he figured that in this situation, he'd benefit from some preparation work too. "Don't you have something to say?" Yellow eyes glanced up to her. She offered a nice view from all perspectives and angles, it seemed.

"That was great," she whispered breathlessly, moving to roll him back over. "Now I'll show you just how _well_ I can take this monster." She giggled, positioning herself over him.

Maduke laughed and shifted a bit to recline among countless pink pillows. It was a good thing that she got on top on her own - anything else would be plain dangerous. And if they really died at the same time... His hands went up to trail over her skin. She didn't exactly have much to play with, he preferred more voluptuous shapes, but how could a man resist someone who promised such fun?

As she slid down, she moaned at the stretch. Good. This was good. She giggled and set up a moderate pace. “You know, I’m not bad at this. Let me know how I can blow your mind.”

He laughed raspily. "Oh believe me, you don't want to see that blowing up." Because she would definitely not survive that.

"Well, not literally, of course. But the French do call enjoying this a 'little death."

"And here I thought _some more death_ would be the last thing you wanted," he quipped, hips bucking upwards towards her. Human or not, a warm body was a warm body.

“This kind is fine, I think.” She leaned down to kiss his chest, since that was all she could reach with her height.

It was fun - despite their different species, and even though it was nowhere as fulfilling and satisfying as _truly_ being with a werewolf woman, it was still worthwhile, and he tolerated her just sprawling out on his chest. It was probably obvious that he had held back for safety purposes. "I could imagine someone worse to be stuck in a time loop with," he noted.

“Yeah. This was good.” Very good. “You... are very definitely not human though. Humans don’t have this many muscle groups.” She ran her hand along his chest to show him. “Here, for example, you have two groups where a human would only have one.”

"Modifications make all sorts of things possible," he pointed out. She was an attentive woman, though.

She chuckled. “So you decided you needed a tongue three times human length just because?”

"Just because," he confirmed. Indeed. Werewolves were not _identical_ to humans after all.

“I don’t believe you on the modifications. But I don’t mind letting you keep your secret.” She pat the muscles again. “Adding extra muscle groups in a human subject bulks them up unnaturally. Your body is toned and lithe in comparison. For future reference when coming up with excuses.”

"I suppose you and me, in this timeloop... you're supposed to be a bright, inquisitive mind. I wonder whether you will come up with a theory. Will you find the truth, Doctor Aris?"

“Maybe? I don’t know. Is it actually worth it for me to figure it out?” Especially compared to... “Hey, will you let me show you what I mean with the eyebrows?”

"It will give you something to do." Because as of now, her research was... rather inhibited by the circumstances. "What about the eyebrows?"

“Yours are very thin and pale and don’t do as good a job as they could of framing your face. So I asked if you’d considered darkening them and you glared~! Bu~ut. I think you might see my point if you could see it for yourself!” She sing-sang.

Hm. Why not, really? "It'll be gone next time we die."

She laughed. “Or you could just wash your face. One second!” She hopped off the bed, digging through her makeup kit for an eyebrow pencil. “Got it! Hold still a bit.”

Maduke simply remained where he was, reclining among pink pillows. He was in a good mood now so he'd humour her.

She hummed as she carefully outlined his eyebrows, skilfully defining them just a bit darker than his natural hair shade. “Done!” And they didn’t look much different from normal eyebrows, since she knew how to make them look natural by now. “See?” She flipped open a compact from her case to show him the effect.

Huh. He examined his reflection critically. It was true, he looked absolutely unlike himself. "A man who puts paint on his face..."

She giggled. “Now, now. There are a number of reasons to wear makeup. Male and female have nothing to do with it! I could easily use this to make you look more intimidating as well.”

"What, am I not intimidating enough yet?" He actually seemed amused at that.

“Have you _seen_ my dear baby, Shark? I do have makeup set up for him specifically.”

"No. I have not. Alright, then. Do your magic, Doctor Aris."

“Okay~ Ah. Need my wipes for this one. Your natural eyebrows would look best for this.” Along with some kohl for his eyes to bring out how piercing they were. And some black lipliner to define his lips as even thinner than they were.

It was interesting, to let her just draw on his face. It wasn't as though he had anything better to do. "Is that what you usually do in your free time? Paint your conquests?"

“Only if they let me. And they don’t have to be bed conquests either.” She giggled. “No. My hobby is collecting ‘babies’. Cute boys I can experiment on. I make sure to give them amazing modifications.”

He raised a brow. "Each to their own, I suppose. I only collect daggers."

“Oooh! Shark is built to fight with tactical knives!”

"If I wasn't so comfortable right now, I'd show you my most favoured one."

“Having makeup put on is soothing, isn’t it? I think it’s because faces are naturally more sensitive than other body parts.” A swipe of colour to highlight the shallows of his cheeks and... “Done! Here, see?” All of his more intimidating features, played up with makeup.

He considered himself in the compact little hand mirror. "I look like I died three weeks ago and no one noticed."

She snickered. _"Well...”_ Given their current situation...

"If I go out like this, we'll have to die again so no one will remember."

“No problems. I can just wipe it all off. Though I doubt anyone would be brave enough to say anything.”

"Oh. Don't be mistaken. I'm curious enough to see if anyone will."

“Hmm.” She laid her head on his chest. “I’m comfy though. Most guys just leave. You let me have fun. I’m not ready to die again yet.” If she ever would be. She didn’t like dying in general. “I found out my assistant is a lying bastard who is probably selling my secrets to another scientist. The one I hate most.”

Then he'd let her. "Few people can ever be trusted."

“So it seems. But he was _the best_ assistant ever! This sucks!”

"So do you fancy a little vengeance, then?"

"Vengeance?" She was listening.

"I'm a powerful man." He brushed her hair back, gathering some of it in his fist before releasing it again. "Whatever you can think of..."

"More than anything, I hate Doctor Crombel. Can you believe the nerve of that man? Having the _gall_ to think he's a top scientist when his most recent experiment is just slapping some organs from other species into humans to try and make chimaeras? Of course most of them are already dead."

"Other species?" That got his attention.

"Yeah. I think the survivors are from... I think species B and C, it was said? All from D passed away, and fae aren't exactly easy specimens to get ahold of. Neither are C, since they're said to be extinct."

"... I see." He sat up, bringing her into an upright position with him. "Then get dressed, doll. I have some questions for this Dr. Crombel."

"Oh. Do you want me to clean your face real quick, or..." Did he _want_ to look as intimidating as he could?

Ah. Right. "Yes. Yes, I would rather look like myself again." What an interesting turn of events.

"Of course, this way~" She led him to the en-suite where she cleaned him up before the two of them got dressed again. "Nice and fresh. I quite enjoy the feeling of taking makeup off."

"I'm not fond of the smell." Plastered all over his face.

"Scent?" How odd! Well, maybe there was some less scent-forward. She'd have to look into it.

"I have a sensitive nose," he replied innocently. Now... he actually wanted to know more about this too. However, unfortunately, on their way back to the party, Aris tripped and fell - and even though he caught her, that did not save them from being impaled by a chandelier coming crashing down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes the legendary "Aris draws brows on Maduke"


	5. Chapter 5

"Ugh!" Right back into the bathroom! Well. She had an issue to take care of. She left, a smile carefully pasted on her face as she patiently awaited the inevitable confetti. Ignes, Ignes at least could still be trusted. Ignes had actively believed her and tried to help her. Yuri though...

"Happy birthday!" Ignes cheered, tossing confetti in Aris' direction.

"Thank you, Ignes!" Aris enveloped her friend in a hug. The traitor should interact soon as well. Having Ignes there to witness would be good.

She giggled and returned the hug. That was fun! Five minutes later, Yuri approached with a bouquet of flowers. "Happy birthday, Doctor Aris."

She accepted them with a smile. "Thank you~. By the way, you're fired."

"..." He blinked. "Pardon?"

"I can't have my assistant giving my secrets away to another scientist, you understand? So you're fired. Go back to that pseudo-scientist, Crombel."

"I don't understand." How did she know?!

“I think you understand perfectly. You always were a smart cookie~” She reached to pinch his cheek in a facsimile of affection. “But I’m not stupid. Of course I’d have figured it out eventually.”

He frowned. "I apologize if I did something to give you the impression I'm not loyal to you, Doctor Aris."

Slowly, Aris began to circle him. “And yet, you’ve done nothing to deny my claim.”

"I don't even _understand_ your research!"

“No? Then what use to me are you as an assistant?”

"I am here for legal and administrative affairs, Doctor."

“Hmm. And yet...” He took her research and gave it away. That’s the only reason he could possibly have for talking to Crombel. Much less privately. She’d never made her distaste for him unknown, after all. “You _really_ want to prove your loyalty to me?” Oh, she’d give him a chance. She giggled at the thought of it.

"What can I do to prove my loyalty?"

She laughed harder. “Take the mind-wipe drug. Become one of my babies.” Because of course he wouldn’t consent to that!

"Doctor. You ask for a lot."

“Then go have fun with your dear friend, Crombel.” Of course she didn’t believe him anymore. “I can’t trust you as you anymore. Not ever.”

"You cannot ask for my autonomy!"

She raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t asking.” And she was hardly the person to be whining about autonomy to.

Yuri's lips pressed into a fine line. "Very well." With that, he turned away and left.

That was... pretty satisfying! Now to go tell Twelfth she needed a new assistant. And see if he had a way of getting in touch with Second. Unfortunately, she didn't get that far - Yuri was not only willing to backstab her figuratively, but literally as well. At the same time, Maduke suffocated on a stray bird feather above the sea.

* * *

"Shit." Maduke coughed up a feather and held it up. A proof. A definitive proof of what happened. He took a few breaths. He should talk to Zaiga about it. Actually. He should just take him and tell him on the way. This time, he ordered for Lunark to bring flowers and Zaiga should wear something casual. They would go to a party and he'd await them at the eastern beach.

“My Lord?” Zaiga asked as he came to the beach.

"So, I will cut myself short, while we wait for Lunark." Who had to get flowers, after all. "The moonmother is fucking with me. I have died about ten times already, looping back to this monday, in my bathroom, again and again, and no one remembers what happened. Except.. . two deaths ago, I met someone in the same situation."

“... What?” That was... “Go on.”

"A Union scientist named Aris. Petite." He gestured to roughly his chest to show that she was, indeed, small compared to him. "A great lay. For a human, that is."

"A... Union scientist is also dying at the same time?" How odd!

"We're on our way to her birthday party," he confirmed. "I fucked her, and then she told me one of the other scientists is trying to create chimeras by implanting organs of other species. When I wanted to investigate... I think we got speared by a falling chandelier. And then I choked on a bird feather on the way there."

"... I see. So we're hoping to get there before you die again?"

"Preferably. Starting over repeatedly is a major bother. Oh. And it seems we always die at the same time."

"Oh." The feather was rather ridiculous, so... "How did she die this time?"

"That's what I hope to find out when I get there." Maduke adjusted his collar. "The first time I told you this, you assumed the Moonmother might be putting me on some kind of trial."

"I do think so. Do you believe this man making chimaeras is part of the trial?"

"I don't know. But if this extinct species she has mentioned is us..." Then yes. Someone _other than them_ somehow had access to werewolf material.

"How could they possibly..." Zaiga shook his head. "They will need to be dealt with."

"I agree. Lunark is taking her time, I assume she's picking particularly beautiful flowers."

“Not really.” Lunark walked up with a bouquet. “I was being choosy, but they’re nothing too special.”

"Well. It's the thought that counts. Let's get going, then." This time, they actually made it to the party. "I still remember the orgies we used to go to," he sighed, feeling rather nostalgic about his old escapades with Zaiga.

Orgies sounded fun. But Lunark didn’t think she’d want to be in any the two older men were in. “Good times.” Zaiga nodded. “Ah! There you are!” Aris came over to greet the three.

"What happened last time?" He inquired and offered her the flowers.

“I called that backstabber out and he decided to literally backstab me. I definitely need a new assistant.”

"That you do. Lunark. Get me Fourth, Ninth and a certain... what was his name again?" He glanced at Aris.

“Doctor Crombel?” She tilted her head.

"Yes. That one." Maduke nodded. "Doctor Aris." He briefly touched the small of her back. "How about you find us somewhere nice and private to chat with the gentlemen?"

Aris giggled. “The gardens are good. That’s where I spoke with Seventh the first time when Ignes suggested it. Ignes is Fourth’s daughter, by the way.” She assumed he knew, but in case she didn’t. “And Seventh’s niece, as it turns out.”

He nodded and tapped the shoulder of a young waiter. They should be supplied with drinks, cigars and maybe some snacks. In the garden terrace lounge where they would have some privacy. Once that was settled, he followed Aris outside, and into the quiet, comfortable corner with lounges and armchairs. Everything was decorated quite exquisitely. Down by the pool, the DA-5 were waiting to meet Dr. Aris, but she had better things to do. Maduke sat down and gestured for Aris and Zaiga to join him. Lunark should return anytime soon.

Aris took a seat nearby, humming. It actually felt a bit better to have Second here. “Oh! I should give you my phone number. It would make it easier to talk in case you can’t come one of these loops.”

"I don't have a phone." Not exactly accurate. He had one but he did not know the number. "I'll have Lunark give you hers."

“Alright!” That would be useful.

Roctis was the first to join them - tall and a serious face, as usual. "I am surprised to see you decided to join the party, Second," he noted and took one of the free seats. "I decided to socialise," Maduke replied innocently, reaching out for the box of cigars one of the waiters brought for them.

"I've been meaning to ask. Where did Ignes get the confetti?" Aris asked, brushing a hand through her hair to show how much was now stuck in it.

"I heard this is a widely accepted party accessory," Roctis replied. "She was really excited about this."

Aris giggled. "It is. I just wish it didn't get in my hair, you know?" It wasn't like she could magic it clean. "Hopefully she's having fun."

"She is. I was doubtful at first, but she is having a good time." Maybe a little bit too good, even. As they chatted, Ninth joined them as well. "Fourth Elder. And... Second?" The man's eyes widened. He never had met him in person, actually. Except, he was not entirely sure which of these two men _was_ the Second Elder. Since they never saw the faces.

Aris gestured to Maduke. "He's second. He's..." Aris gestured to Zaiga. "Actually I don't think I ever got your name."

"Zaiga. My best friend and right hand," Maduke summed up and gestured for everyone to get a drink while Lunark approached, a confused Crombel in tow **.**

"Second Elder. I've done as you requested." Lunark nodded, looking behind to Crombel.

"Have a seat and a drink, then, Fifth." This was Union business now. "Zaiga. Make sure we are not bothered here."

"Of course." Zaiga's hand glowed as runes started appearing on the ground, locking the group of them in and keeping others out. Crombel's eyes widened. What was this? This was... bad. Probably very bad.

"Doctor Crombel." Maduke leaned back and puffed his cigar. "I want to hear more about your research."

"My research? You'll have to be more specific. I have several projects going on at any given point in time," he answered.

"Doctor Aris. What was the fascinating project you mentioned last time we spoke?"

"His chimaera project," she responded. A total failure. "Ah. That one. It hasn't produced any worthwhile results." Crombel answered. "You're welcome to the scraps if you want."

"Tell me more about this _chimera_ project."

"I requisitioned some organs from other species for implantation in humans, and did so. So far, it seems the ones with heart or liver transplants are doing the best. Species C ones specifically are the most viable."

"Species C are extinct, though," Ninth pointed out, eyes narrowing. "Then how did you access them?"

“I haven’t asked my contacts, nor am I sure which ones provided them specifically.” He’d tracked them, of course. But he wouldn’t give up his contact information that easily.

"I see. Fifth Elder. Take Dr. Crombel into custody."

“Yes.” She grabbed one of his hands, folding it behind his back.

"You will question him about his sources, and trace from there. By the accord of 1453, all test subjects of _species C_ fall under my sole jurisdiction." And Maduke would not have that contested. "And all of species B under mine," Roctis pointed out. He saw the picture, now.

_Oh shit._ So basically, he’d gotten into trouble with two major elders as a result? Aris giggled beside Maduke. Good. A thorn in her side was gone.

Maduke took a sip of his whiskey, pleased. "Fifth, make sure he does not contact his sources. Zaiga, that would be all. Ninth, I presume you will seize his research?"

Ninth laughed. “Of course I will. If his research must be gone though, I will do it.”

"Good. That is all." He placed an arm over the back of the couch, above where Aris sat. "Zaiga. Will you stay here, or mingle with the crowd?"

“I think I’ll go mingle. It’s been a while.” He chuckled.

"Have fun while this timeline lasts." He'd stay here with Aris for now.

"Right." Well, it was a party.

Maduke waited until they were alone again. "There you go."

Aris giggled. “Nothing less than he deserves. Just as much a snake as that vile underling of his.” And Yuri would get what was coming to him too.

"What about him?" He was not just a powerful man, but a bored one too.

“Hmm. I don’t know. Do you have any ideas?” She giggled, leaning closer. “I tried talking him into wiping his own mind to prove his loyalty last time. You should have seen how he balked! ‘You can’t take my autonomy from me!’” She mocked. “As if anyone has any true autonomy here, right?” She laughed harder.

"People like to fool themselves into thinking that they have true freedom. As if they're not confined by the limits others have set for them." He rubbed his chin in thought. Just what would be the right way to get back at someone like that?

“Hmm. Think there‘s a way to prove Crombel sees him as nothing more than a pawn? Then he’ll see how good he had it as my assistant. I at least saw him as a person until now. I can’t say the same of my babies. They’re more like toys.”

Oh, that was twisted. He liked that and he didn't bother hiding it. "For every name Crombel provides us, he'll get off lighter. Watch how, if Yuri is _somehow_ connected to him, he'll end up on the list too."

Aris giggled. “That’s great! I can’t wait.”

"Whether he actually is on the list or not hardly matters, as long as he thinks he is."

_”_ _Good.”_ She leaned against him. He was _so good_ to her. In a way no other man had been. She wanted to reward him.

Maduke chuckled as she leaned against him. What a deliciously devious woman. She reminded him of one of his favourite past Elders. "Now. Of course we need to let at least two or three hours pass between Crombel's arrest and Yuri's arrest. Treacherous deals take time after all. Until then..."

“Until then we can have some fun.” She giggled.

"I'm all yours right now." He was a simple man who couldn't resist a sweet, fawning woman.

However, that fun turned out to be fatal - in a sudden heart attack, Maduke ended up snapping Aris' neck by an unfortunate accident.


	6. Chapter 6

Aris slammed her hand on the sink. _Damn it!_ What was that, a fucking stroke?! Bullshit! And she’d been _so close_ too! At least it wasn’t on purpose, like with Seventh and Yuri. And- and she _hadn’t even gotten his number_. Shit! She left the bathroom, making a beeline for Fourth. Maybe he knew.

"Happy - Aris?" Ignes blinked as the woman just almost raced past her.

“In a second, Ignes,” Aris assured. “Hey, Fourth? Can I ask you something?” She asked, completely entering her sweet persona.

Roctis turned towards her. Oh. Twelfth's subordinate and Ignes' friend. "Happy birthday, Doctor Aris. What is it?"

“Do you happen to have Second’s number? I overheard something that’s relevant to him in the science community but I don’t have any communication lines myself. Oh! It might be relevant to you too!”

"I can let him know once I am back." Second was notoriously reclusive.

“Hmm. See, that defeats the purpose of getting ahold of him earlier. He’s going to be here in a few hours anyway along with Fifth. And maybe Zaiga.”

Zaiga...? He frowned. So she somehow knew about that man? He'd accompanied Second in the past a couple of times, even before he became Lord. So she knew him. Quite well, in fact. "Twelfth should have a communication access point we can use."

“Okay! So we’ll ask him then!” Good! “Ah... mostly it’s about arresting someone though. Doctor Crombel for his little chimaera project. Turns out he’s not authorised to use Species B or C specimens.”

"He has access to B specimens?" His eyes narrowed.

She nodded. “And I have no idea how. But that’s what his M-series is. Humans implanted with the organs from different species.”

"I see. We will investigate that." Roctis nodded. "I must ask. How do you know the Second Elder?"

“I met him this coming Wednesday at the summit. Time loop issues.” She explained simply.

"The summit?" He looked rather puzzled by that.

“The summit, yes. At which point we got electrocuted and he started showing up here when he didn’t before. Time loop issues,” she reiterated.

"... Right. In any case, thank you for your hint, Doctor Aris. This will be investigated."

“Of course! Oh. And my assistant, Yuri. He’s Crombel’s underling and has likely been giving him all of my secrets, as well as any he can get from those around me. Two loops ago I called him out on that and he murdered me.”

"... Do you need protection?"

“I might,” she admitted. “But that’s more a symptom of the time loop than anything else. I keep dying to some of the dumbest accidents that normally would never happen!”

"Yet you're here, very much alive."

“I came to talk to you immediately after the loop restarted.”

"So you say... Each time you die.. you return in time? And you're certain?" It would explain her knowing Maduke.

She nodded. “I asked Ignes for help with that once and she took me to talk to Seventh. Said he was her uncle. I’m not pleased with him. He snapped my neck just so he could find out what would happen.”

Roctis didn't comment. That did sound like him, though. "I wonder if in another world, he has his answer."

“I suppose that depends entirely on how the time loop affects the time-space continuum and whether or not multiple universes actually exist or if time is more linear in nature.” In which case, they were _all_ fucked by this time loop.

"..." Again, Roctis didn't reply. "Then you must take particular good care of yourself."

“Three loops ago Second and I were impaled by a random chandelier falling on us with no warning. We were both killed in the impact, as I confirmed with him. He’s also stuck in the loop, by the way.” In other words, she wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying was even _doable_.

"Second, killed by a falling chandelier?" That sounded a bit strange for a werewolf.

She nodded. “And there was the electrocution. He had a heart attack last loop.” She wasn’t even going to mention from what.

... Roctis frowned. "I should talk to Seventh about this." Alone.

She nodded. “If you can find out any information about this I’d be happy to hear it! I don’t like being in a loop. Or dying. Both are unpleasant.”

"I can imagine. I'll speak to him now. In private, though."

“Of course. I’ll just see if Ignes wants to go get snacks or something. She definitely shouldn’t drink more.”

"Good idea." He nodded again.

"Come on, Ignes." Aris looped an arm around one of hers. "Lets go get something to eat." Until her not-quite maybe boyfriend got here. He was a cut above everyone else she'd been with so far, and they weren't even dating!

Indeed, Maduke and Lunark showed up again, once more with flowers because he enjoyed sending Lunark on errands. He took the flowers. "You can go enjoy yourself, Lunark." Lunark nodded, going to go mingle with the others. Was Sixth here? He was always good for some friendly fun.

Maduke, in the meantime, tried to pick up Aris' scent and energy in the crowd and found her sitting with a charming noble. Lagus' student? "There you are."

Aris giggled. "Yup. Couldn't get ahold of you earlier. Never got your number. I've told Fourth about Doctor Crombel, but I don't know if he's been arrested already or not."

"Likely not. He takes his time with things. Let's find Lunark, she'll give you her number. That's good enough."

"Of course." She reached out for his arm. "Ignes, have fun, okay?"

"Okay." Ignes blinked. So she was dismissed, just like that? Ugh. Oh well. She would find some fun while Maduke and Aris made their way to Lunark and Urokai. "Fifth. Sixth." Maduke nodded.

"Second." Lunark nodded. "Ah... birthday girl, perhaps?" Her Lord wasn't holding the flowers anymore, so that was the logical conclusion.

"Yes. And the birthday girl needs your number." Maduke nodded. Or rather, she needed a way to contact him. And since he didn't bother having a cellphone..

Lunark raised an eyebrow. "Okay..." She took out her phone, checking what the number was. "Here." She held the phone out to show it to Aris. Aris nodded and repeated it s few times before walking off to find a pen to write it on her hand. If she'd see this a couple of times again, she'd remember.

“Anything else?” Lunark asked.

"Enjoy this, while you still can." Deliberately ominous. He turned and left, looking for Aris.

Aris carefully wrote the number down on her hand with some eyeliner. She’d just have to be careful not to smear. But then, that would have been an issue anyway. “There we go!” Done!

"The way I see this, anything we do to Crombel, to Yuri, to anyone, is pretty much pointless since we die over and over anyway."

She hummed. “They deserve to suffer. But only once we get out of the loop. Until then, we’re just hunting for information.”

"Bold of you to assume we will get out of this loop at all."

“Nothing is infinite. Not even this.” It couldn’t be.

"Maybe the time-space-continuum or whatever it's called is just going to collapse," he mused. "No. I agree, ending this loop, fun as it is, is better than ceasing to exist altogether."

“I just wish I knew how to fix it.” She sighed. “Can’t even keep having fun together without risking death during it. It’s going to _really suck_ if it turns out that there actually is multiple universes and someone had to find our bodies.”

"Ah. Unfortunate, indeed." He gestured. "Let's sit down somewhere private."

She nodded. “I’m sure you remember the way.” Her bedroom was the most private spot they had. Maduke simply got them drinks before following her. "And step out of the way of the chandelier," he warned.

“Of course. Can’t have that again.” She giggled. At least she was with him. “You know, I’d originally thought you were boring. I’m glad I was wrong.”

"Boring? I am reserved around strangers."

That just got another giggle. “Well. If you’re being reserved around me, it’s the same thing from my perspective, isn’t it?”

"Wherever I go, people want my attention and interest. They want something from me. They want what I represent. What they think they can get from simply being around me. I am selective who _gets_ that attention."

“What a boring thing for people to do. If I wanted more power from an Elder, there’s any number of them I could seduce. Men tend to be simple.” Not that Second fell into that group. But it wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to sleep with someone just so she could even be considered for something that a man of equal skill would have been considered for anyway. Thankfully, once she’d actually gotten a job as a Union scientist, her skills could do the talking for her.

"Doll, they're not me." He approached the door to her bedroom. That was the right one, wasn't it? "They all _wish_ they had my kind of power."

She giggled, pushing her door open. “See, but they have enough power to do whatever _I_ might want. I’m a simple girl with simple wants.”

That got a chuckle from him as he entered and sat on the padded bench at the footend of the bed. "And what you want..." He steepled his fingers in thought as he re-assessed the things he knew about her so far. "... Control. The mother who raises her children in her image. The mother, a creation goddess who gives life. You remodel those men by your design. And nothing is up to chance."

Hmm. “Don’t know. I’ve never given it that much thought. That does sound appealing though.” However. “My previous point stands. I don’t want you because of your position or anything. I want you because you’re _cute_.”

That made him laugh out loud. He had been called many things, but cute...? "Don't try to seduce me, vixen," he chided with unusual light-heartedness. "I am trying to figure out what connects us in this timeloop."

“Of course. Not going to stop me once we’re out of it though.” She swivelled back and forth. “So. Connection. Do you think that perhaps we should try and figure out what caused our very first deaths, and see if there’s any similarity?”

"Alright. My first death..." He frowned. "Funnily, I don't actually remember. Not really."

“Neither do I. I have trouble remembering what happened before the bathroom at this party, in fact.”

"I ... vaguely remember that I stood there, feeling like I just woke up from a never-ending nightmare. It's faded now."

“I suppose we have a lot of thinking to do. I also feel like I was living a dream, and then clarity. I think... I died. I died, but I was proud.”

"You died for a cause, then?" And Aris did not seem like the kind of person who believed in anything, when you really thought about it.

“Cause... no. Oh! I remember dark purple hair. My little Ta-chan killed me, I think. I wonder why.” Oh! Her eyes widened. “That means he actually managed to get strong enough to do so! He shouldn’t be able to easily as he is now.”

"There needs to be something that we have in common, though. Something. Anything."

“We’re both in the Union. We’ve gone to the summit. We’re both dead from... _something_. I’d think normally we’d never meet though.” Oh. “Maybe that’s the link. We’re forced to meet _here_ and we’re supposed to do something.”

"You mean, we are supposed to meet? Our paths could have crossed, and did not, but they should have?"

“It’s a possibility, at least. I can’t recall a single instance of meeting you even in the daydream.”

"No. I do not socialise, usually." Not with humans in particular. The summit... that was the only time he had attended and even that was a major disappointment since the First Elder had not even revealed himself.

Aris giggled. "If this is the case... I wonder what else we need to do to leave the loop? We met at the summit this time."

"Fucking was worth a try."

"I don't mind another go." As long as he didn't snap her neck again. She really doubted the solution would be that shallow though. "If we are stuck together, then we are meant to help each other with... something. I think it's just going to be figuring out what we're supposed to do for each other. Maybe to prevent the nightmare outcomes? If those are actual possible endings..."

"So you think... we need to prevent each other from dying whatever way we died before the loops began? Is that your theory?"

"Yes. I'm just not sure why we keep resetting this soon. My death was a few years from now. The summit, perhaps? Was that our potential meeting place?" If so, then why hadn't they kept going since then? It wasn't as if... "Maybe now that we know, we can live longer!" Oh, that was an exciting thought!

"Do you mean... each time we do _something_ wrong, it resets? Until it's all one well-practiced dance?"

"Yes. Boring, but we'll find our fun bits, I think." Which meant... "Are we supposed to wait a bit to deal with Crombel? He is involved in my death, so I don't think he can be left alone, but..."

Maduke leaned back, half lying on the bed now. He needed to think. Each step... "We both made it to the summit once. And then we died both. However, now we are acting differently than we did when we did reach wednesday..."

Aris leaned against him. "We might have a better chance." If they managed to make it to the true ends of their lives, fix whatever happened, they might solve the loop naturally.

"Isn't the best way to prevent your Ta-chan from killing you to kill him first?"

“... I don’t want to kill any of my babies. I worked so hard on them!”

"Is there a reason any of them might want to kill you?"

“Besides modification being an intrinsically painful process that is attributed directly to me?” Well. “Ta-chan is sensitive. I had to give him a reason to kill so he wouldn’t kill himself. So he thinks I’m his little sister.”

"And you are not. But that surely cannot be all there is to it?"

“No. I wish I could remember more!” She huffed, cheeks ballooning. “That might help with this!”

"How would he even find out that you are not his sister, anyway?"

“I don’t know. Though that almost happened tonight. Er. A few loops ago. I had Ignes pretend to be me to keep anonymity while hugging them.”

".... Anonymity?" He raised a brow. It seemed they were approaching the core of it now...

“Well. None of my babies have ever met me in person. Except Kranz. He’s the leader, so he gets his orders from me directly.”

"... Please don't tell me you took on a whole false identity which means the moment he meets you, as Aris, he knows you lied to him?"

“... Yes?”

"..." He huffed and covered his face with the palm of his hand. "That's a level of negligence that you almost deserve to die for."

“That’s not very nice to say.” She pouted. “I’ll deal with it better shortly. Perhaps have him disarmed and confess to him?”

"If that does not work, I can call in a favour that will definitely solve the problem. Don't worry." He pinched her cheek. "Without hurting him."

“It’s not that I need my babies alive. It’s that killing them deliberately ruins their experiment.” She started explaining the DA-5 project to him. How they all had their neurons modified to transmit their power and abilities to Kranz, letting him drain them to death and boost him. How all of the ancillary members were made that way. How every mission they went on were little more than training exercises made to boost their abilities.

"You want them to die in battle, then? That, too, can be arranged."

“Hmm... I’ll consider it. I’m not sure what their modified lifespans are, but I want to get the most out of them before they reach the end of it. It should only take a few years.”

"Modifications reduce their lifespans?"

“Unfortunately, yes. It has to do with human limitations. Forcing them beyond them depletes lifespan. The personal guards I build tend to have a lifespan of a year or so at best.”

"I am not surprised. There is only so much you can do before hitting your limit."

“Yup. And that’s why... this research is dedicated to lifting that ceiling. By absorbing their power at the end of the other’s lifespans, it is my hope that this increases Kranz’s own, since he does not need to go beyond his limits. He’s naturally stronger than the other four.”

Intuitively, it felt as though this was pretty similar to what Lagus was trying to achieve with those bloodstones. "That makes sense. And how does that work?"

She opened her mouth to continue explaining happily when somehow, someway, a stray lightning bolt stuck them both even through the thick glass of the window, completely ignoring the structure as a whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still can't believe Maduke just assumed Takeo's name is "Ta-Chan"


	7. Chapter 7

_Shit._ Maduke groaned in annoyance. HOW did they get struck by lightning inside a room on a sunny day with perfectly clear skies?! "Fuck you too!", he growled, pointing into thin air. The moonmother was definitely fucking with him. Ugh. His mood was sourer than usual when he finally left his room.

Lunark was already standing outside of it. "Lord... I got a strange text... ' _Second will know who this is <3\. Can you be a dear and ask him what the next plan of action is?_'"

"Oh." Maduke nodded. "Yes. Answer that I am on my way."

"Okay then." Lunark typed that out and sent it. Whoever this was.

"Now, I have a party to attend. Twelfth's party. Whether you go or not is up to you."

"... I would not pass up a bit of fun." Even if she had to be composed as an Elder.

"Then let's get going. We don't take the plane. The Moonmother is fucking with me at the moment."

"... Okay?" This was the weirdest thing ever. But they did make good time to the party.

Since they skipped the flowers, they reached the party a little earlier than usual. Now. To find Aris...

"There you are!" Aris exclaimed, confetti in her hair. It was good to let Ignes have her fun every once in a while.

"I do apologize for coming empty-handed this time." He reached out to pull a piece of confetti out of her hair.

"Is it _really_ empty handed when you brought yourself?"

"You charming vixen," he commented with a smirk. "Fifth, you are dismissed for now."

Lunark raised an eye at the sight. Hadn't he been hitting on her just a few days ago? Not that she cared. If his attention was now on another woman, perhaps he'd leave her alone. "Very well. I'll go find Sixth then."

Maduke nodded and turned to Aris. "... so no talking about your research, I assume?" That had turned sour rather.... fast.

She sighed. "I guess so. That's disappointing. I don't share it with just anyone and it was nice talking to someone who understood it." Besides Ignes.

"The thought behind it, you mean?" Because he definitely did not understand the actual science.

"Yes." Though she'd thought he was following along fairly well.

"Now... I skipped breakfast, I am having a snack first things first."

"Yeah! Snacks are this way!" She'd had them enough to know.

Maduke followed her. Hopefully there would be something good and meaty, though he found nothing to his liking. "And what if we go out and have something proper?"

"Something proper?" Oh, he was asking her on a date? "Sure!"

"Good. I fancy a steak. How about you slip into something nice for this?" Then he had a moment to organise a credit card. Annoying details.

She giggled, nodding. Oh, she could look _stunning_ if he wanted. Even moreso than she did now, and she'd dressed up for this too! "I'll be ready shortly."

"Good. I will be waiting for you, then." He briefly touched her lower back before letting her go. She was kind of fun and it was so long since he really had some arm candy to toy with.

Dress, dress... nothing childish this time. Dolls could be elegant too. Something strappy and fun maybe? Yes, definitely. The deep blue, she thought. It always contrasted nicely with her hair and eyes. This was going to be so much fun! A date with her new white knight hero that was trapped in this loop with her! She grabbed into a pillow and screamed into it to stifle her excitement.

Soon, she'd dressed and headed downstairs, only to trip on the top stair. _Shit!_ This was... awful. She didn't want to die, and she didn't want the option of dating Second to be taken from her! Not like this! Luckily, Maduke was blessed with preternatural reflexes - and caught her before the birthday girl could fall to her death. "No, no, I am not letting you get out of this that easily."

Aris giggled, her hand trailing up his arm. “Good, I didn’t want to miss it.” Ah! Her white knight! She didn’t know if she could _get_ any more infatuated, but here they were.

He set her down carefully, actually enjoying the attention of the other people who noticed how he'd caught her. Heroic. He was the man others _wanted_ to be. "Let us go."

“Yes.” Her arms wrapped around one of his. “You are just set on being the best, aren’t you?” She didn’t mind. He was wonderful!

"Always striving for perfection, doll," he confirmed as he led her away. Plenty of limousines were parked in front of the house - and no one actually dared protest him when he picked one at random to get them to his desired location. His golden sigil ring was all they needed to see that he was not a man whose requests you could refuse. "Make yourself comfortable. Do you know someplace nice around here?"

“Sure!” Aris listed off several different places she was aware of in the area.

"I fancy steak." Maybe that would narrow it down.

“Oh! Then we’ll want to go to-“ She gave him the address.

He simply gestured for the driver to go where she had indicated. "I don't get out nearly often enough," he admitted, content to just watch the traffic pass them by.

“Like Third? I’ve heard some weird rumours about the lengths he’ll go to not to go out. I’m thinking he might have just came to my party because his boyfriend pulled him out.”

"No. Unlike the Third Elder, I have obligations beside the Union."

“Oh! Sounds tough. I’m glad all I really need to do is my science.”

"How did you end up with the Union?"

“Well, after getting kicked out of a few universities for ethics violations, one finally contacted _me_ to have me come study there. Turned out that that university was Union owned and I was fast-tracked into the science division. They’d seen the work that got me kicked out of the other schools and wanted me to keep at it.” And that was that. “I worked up in the ranks with my skill. It was... _wonderful_. What about you?”

Maduke chuckled. "I was a diplomat for my country. During my work... I met the right people and did them the right favours. That, Doctor Aris, is power."

“A diplomat who doesn’t get out much, huh?”

"I am retired nowadays."

“Looks like you still do a lot of work for a retired man.”

"I guess I just don't really know how to stop, do I?"

“Looks like! Rest is good though. I’d definitely recommend taking a break from time to time.”

"That's what is so beautiful about this loop. Or was, in the beginning. You're free to do whatever. All your goals and dreams are suspended because your world is now these three days on neverending repeat."

Aris quieted, becoming thoughtful at that. “Dreams... what’s yours?”

Maduke sighed. His dreams... did he really still have dreams, after all this time? "For as long as I can remember, man has fought man. Greed and cruelty. Power and petty squabbles. My dream.... was once to put an end to all of it. And there was always only one way."

“One way?”

"All power, in one hand, beyond any doubt and forever. Uncontested and absolute."

“Is that something you still want to do?”

"I am still here, am I not?" He asked, rather defensively.

“Well, of course you are! That doesn’t mean your goal is the sa-“ Aris’s words were cut off as the car suddenly came to a halt, slamming against a brick wall. While Aris' neck snapped as her head bashed against the seat in front of her while Maduke was impaled by a piece of bent metal.

* * *

“Oh...” She’d been having such a nice time too! Had she said something wrong? She didn’t want to upset Second. He’d been... just the best. She took out her phone, shooting a text to Lunark. _Me again! You won’t remember me but Second does. Can you ask if he’s alright for me?_

Banging against the bathroom door. No immediate response from the phone. She sighed, leaving the room. She’d get a response soon enough.

"Happy Birthday!" Ignes cheered as she tossed confetti in Aris' direction.

“Thanks Ignes.” Aris wrapped her in a hug. What a good friend.

She giggled and squeezed Aris a little. "Enjoying your party?"

“Yeah! Hey, what do you know about Second?”

"Second? Uhm... He's a good friend of my teacher?" She shrugged. "I don't think I ever really talked to him though."

“Your teacher?” Ninth? Wouldn’t she just say Ninth though?

"Yes. Uh. Right. The one before Ninth." UGH she hated having to pretend Ninth wasn't _her_ student.

“Oh!” Aris giggled. “You have connections to almost all of the Elders, huh? Any other secret relations I should know of?”

"I guess I _am_ pretty well connected." She chuckled. "And still _I_ am not one of them."

“It’s okay. You’ll get your shot,” Aris assured, patting Ignes’s back.

Ignes nodded and looked up when Yuri approached, flowers in hands. At the same time, her phone buzzed. Lunark had answered. _He says he is annoyed and on his way._

Aris looked to her phone, frowning. How would she cheer him up?"Doctor Aris..?" Yuri tilted his head, still holding the flowers.

“Trying to get a date, Yuri.” She answered, typing out another response. _:’ < Anything I can do to help?_

"A date?" He inquired. Did Aris actually go on dates? "Oh. Working on _your babies_ even when you are the guest of honour on the biggest Union party in decades?"

“Second.” She answered. “He’ll be here soon.”

"..." Yuri and Ignes both blinked at her, puzzled. And Ignes seemed... disappointed, too. "But he's so... _old._ "

Aris just laughed at that. “I’m not as young as I look myself.”

"So... you're going on a date?" Yuri asked. Ah, he really was annoyed. He actually bothered to bring flowers after all!

“Maybe. I don’t know. Depends on how this time loop goes. I’d really rather you not stab me again, Yuri.”

"... Excuse me?"

Aris pointed to him. “You made that same face when you stabbed me. I’d rather you not do that, since I’m likely to die today anyway.”

"..." He stared, fazed by what he just heard. "Doctor. You are not making any sense."

"Doesn't need to, Yuri. I just need you to not kill me."

"I never had the intention to, Doctor Aris."

“Okay then! That’s taken care of!” She said cheerfully.

"So how do you know Second anyway?" Ignes questioned.

“Time loop. Do you happen to know what species he is, Ignes? His musculature isn’t right for a human.”

"What? Uh-" She was definitely taken aback by the question. Of course, she knew, but... did she have any right to tell? They were all supposed to be top secret even within the union...

“And he’s in charge of Species C specimens like Fourth is in charge of Species B...” She had a finger to her chin. She’d never examined a Species C specimen. “Is Species C not actually extinct?”

"... Yeah. Totally." Ignes gave a quick nod.

“So he is a member of Species C then?” How odd! And he was an Elder!

"I didn't say that!" She spluttered while Yuri left. Crombel would want to hear this. And how did Aris know her father was responsible for 'vampires' and not Ninth?!

Aris watched Yuri leave. “It’s a good thing time is just going to loop again and him telling Crombel isn’t going to have any consequences.”

"... I'm really confused, Aris," Ignes admitted.

“That’s okay. I’m stuck in a time loop, and it’s getting more and more complicated as I go.” Hey. Wait. “Why _is_ your dad in charge of Species B? He’s only minorly involved in the scientific part of the community. Like Twelfth.”

"What do I know!" Shit she definitely should tell her father. "He doesn't really tell me about much stuff."

“I could tell you something more interesting, if you want?”

"Okay?" She tilted her head. Hopefully that would make Aris stop asking questions.

“Crombel made chimaeras with unauthorised organs from other species. Including B and C.”

"No way! How did you know?!"

“About the chimaeras? All of the scientists around my level know. I’d have thought it had already made its way to you. That’s why I haven’t mentioned it before.”

"Oh." She rarely interacted with scientists below her level, actually. "I should go tell Ninth."

“Okay. Hey... Ignes? Are you Species B?” One last question, since she might well get killed for the ones she’d already asked anyway. With the red eyes... maybe it _wasn’t_ an aesthetic achieved with an eye modification.

"What?! Nooo. You have seen me in broad daylight already!" Species B only being known as vampires was an offensive boon.

“Maybe you secretly sparkle like in that book? I don’t know.”

Ignes laughed nervously. "What book?"

"Twilight? Have you not read that one?"

"Uh. No." Sparkles? What did she miss?

Aris giggled. “I’ll lend you my copy. It’s really a really dumb romance.”

"Not too dumb for you to know it, though," Ignes pointed out slyly.

“It was popular.” Aris shrugged.

"Uh. Okay. Anyway. There's some people I still wanna say hello to, so... See you later?"

"Sure!" She'd go see Twelfth then.Twelfth was, again, speaking to a group of women and turned when he noticed Aris. "Happy Birthday, Doctor."

“Thanks Twelfth! This is a great party!”

"I sure do hope so!" He laughed cordially, patting both her shoulders.

“You’re the best!” She’d hug him if this weren’t in public and she a subordinate. People tended to get the wrong idea about that. Assume romance or sex when the truth was Twelfth was more like a father.

"It's good you enjoy yourself." He laughed. "It's your special day."

She nodded with a giggled. “Oh... by the way. You know Doctor Crombel’s chimaera project?” She would tell this to anyone who would listen.

"... Chimera project?"

“Yeah. Looks like the parts he got for his project might not have actually been properly sourced according to Union regulations.”

"How interesting." He nodded. "I will look into that, Doctor Aris." Third, who had Crombel in his subordinate team after all, might have to answer some questions.

Aris giggled, starting to make her way outside. She wondered when Second would get here so she could ask if her suspicions were correct.

* * *

While Aris waited outside, Marie informed her superior, Crombel, of the leak - and while he would try to take care of Twelfth... Yuri and Bonerre left the party first, followed by Marie who found Aris outside. "It's a nice evening," she noted, closing her coat. "Hey. Uhm. I hope it's okay to ask..."

“Ask what?” Aris’s voice was cheerful.

"I don't feel too well and wanted to go home. I live a few blocks downtown, but I'd feel safer if another woman came with me."

Aris hummed. “Who would you ask if not me?”

"I'm not sure. You look trustworthy. And sober."

“I’ve decided to make it a practice to not go anywhere without a friend beside me as well, lately.” Who knew if she’d get hit by a car or something while they were out? “Mind if I go grab another friend of mine, and then we all go together?” Ignes shouldn’t be too hard to find.

"Oh. Right. Uhm. Sure." Shit. They would have to take care of Aris' friend as well then. "I think I saw your assistant somewhere?"

“Yuri cannot be trusted,” Aris answered cheerily. “I wouldn’t trust him if I were you either.” She giggled. “Um. I think she said she went this way! What did you say your name was again, by the way?”

"Ah. I am Marie. I am from Eight's division." She nodded.

“Eighth? What’s he like as a boss?” She didn’t think she’d ever met him.

"He's... quick to anger. But I have my freedoms, so it's okay. It's not like I really know what it's like working for any of the other Elders."

“I’m sure you’ve already figured it out, but I work for Twelfth. He’s great. It’s kinda what I imagine a dad is _supposed_ to be like, you know?”

"Uh. I guess? I don't really know mine." She laughed. "Went out to get cigarettes some twenty years ago."

“Ooh, lucky, aren’t we?” Ah. She really wished her actual father had done the same.

Jeez. "Uhm. So. Can we go?" Hopefully the chat would convince Aris to not go and get someone additional.

“Once we find Ignes! This is gonna sound weird but I have a bad habit of dying lately so I’m taking steps to not do that.”

Marie raised an eyebrow and just waited - and Ignes was down to go with Aris, luckily. Except... "No date with Second, then?" She jested as they headed for the way out.

Aris giggled. “Well, it takes a while to get here from...” Huh. “Actually, where _does_ Second live?”

"Uhm. I don't know. Somewhere remote, I suppose?" She glanced at Marie. Oh. An attractive woman. "Are you the one we're taking home?"

"Yes." This Ignes looked young, harmless and tipsy. That was good. "Thank you. I'll feel much safer."


	8. Chapter 8

Marie only lived a couple of blocks downtown – Aris and Ignes could easily accompany her back home safely and return to the party. “Ignes has been super reliable so far. She’ll keep us safe.” Aris giggled. As much as she could as a fellow woman anyway.

Marie nodded and led the way. Past an open field where a new mansion was being constructed. "Hey. That construction site is a shortcut. There shouldn't be anyone."

“Um. No. I don’t want any random structural collapses. Had trouble with even the chandelier in Twelfths’. The sidewalk is safest,” Aris answered.

Great. Hopefully the team would figure out the construction site ambush wouldn't work. Luckily, they did - five minutes later, a group was blocking their way. Yuri and Bonerre, accompanied by a tall, broad man and a boy.

Aris sighed. “Didn’t you _just_ say you didn’t intend to kill me, Yuri? This is _exactly_ why I can’t trust you. Besides the whole time-loop meaning that I will _always_ know that Crombel is an even bigger piece of shit than originally anticipated bit. Second and Fourth also know, so good luck with getting him out of jail.”

"I think you need some rest, Doctor Aris." Yuri pushed up his glasses. "Forever. It's nothing personal. Orders are orders."

“And I _just told_ you it won’t be forever. I’ll wake up in the bathroom again. Knowing this. And you won’t. Why don’t you introduce me to your friends?”

"You want a fight?" Ignes stepped forward. "I'll _give_ you a fight." And it seemed like she was itching for it, too.

“Ignes?” Aris was actually a bit surprised at that. Marie... she was probably on their side too, right? Aris looked to the woman at her side.

"Girl, this is none of your business," Marie started coldly. "Sorry you get caught up in this." Her arms were imbued with energy now. No. She definitely was not on their side.

Well... it wasn’t like Aris _couldn’t_ fight. She just wasn’t good at it. So... “Do you think I’ll make it _easy_ to kill me?”

Before Yuri could answer, Ignes attacked first - a massive aura attack that destroyed the road ahead of them, forcing the assassin squad to retreat a few feet just to save themselves from the initial impact.

Aris blinked. Ignes was just... holding that kind of power this whole time? “Ignes, what the f-“

"I'm enjoying myself!" She yelled triumphantly and swirled around to attack Marie who, despite her modifications, barely could even block the attack and actually stumbled back. She... who _was_ this woman?!

“So, uh. Should I leave it to you then, Ignes?” Aris stepped back from the fight for her own safety.

"Yeah!" She actually had _fun_ defending Aris from the attacks of the assassination squad, causing destruction without care or worry - which of course attracted several high ranking party guests to come investigate the commotion - including Fourth, who downright stopped a fully charged attack of Yuri with a slight of hand when Ignes forgot to watch her back. " _ ** **ENOUGH!****_ ”

Aris blinked at that. As strong as Ignes was... Fourth was even stronger?! Understandable, since he was an Elder, but still!

The survivors (Yuri, the boy and the tall man) all fell to their knees, exhausted and injured. "What is this commotion?" Fourth boomed.

Ignes giggled. “Well. I just saved my friend.” She looked particularly proud of herself for that. “These guys...” she pointed to them. “And that hot woman all attacked us!”

"You're Union." Judging by the fact that three of them were still alive despite Ignes having gotten carried away again. "On whose orders?"

“Yuri over there is my assistant. I know him to be in league with Crombel,” Aris answered.

Fourth actually laughed mirthlessly. "He's too late. I know of his secret project already."

"Are we entitled to keep the survivors as test subjects?" Ninth mused as he caught up with them.

“If you don’t mind playing with something Crombel’s had his hands on I cannot imagine it being a problem. I’d like Yuri for myself though.”

Except they tried to make a run for it while the two Elders were talking. "Eh. I'm sure they'll show up again." Ignes grinned.

“Do we have information about the others? Marie? The kid? Those men? I think I’d seen one of them with Eleventh before. And since Yuri was a plant...”

"They must be Crombel's assassination squad," Ninth mused. "In any case. Impressive work, Ignes. You never cease to amaze."

Ignes giggled puffing out her chest a bit. “Yes! I am the best!” Ah. This had been a _fun_ day.

“Never going anywhere without you again.” Aris murmured. Holy crap. There was _no way_ Ignes was human. The sheer scope of that damage compared to what Aris could do... and Aris was on the higher tier of modifications to begin with! “Marie... claimed to be working for Eighth. I’ve never met him. What’s he like?”

"He's a bit of a difficult man. But I worked hard on him," Ninth explained.

“Oh. Okay.” Weird. Hmm. “Then... if one was stationed with me under Twelfth. And another with Eighth. And yet another with Eleventh... Then we should probably check the Union ranks for more spies in general.” Aris sighed deeply. “It was _not_ my intention to uncover a potential coup in the making today.”

"The Union is full of spies,” Roctis admitted. "Always has been."

“Spies belonging to a man who apparently has the connections to get ahold of the organs of other species? I’d hardly think this one is on an ignorable level.”

"That is true," Roctis confirmed. "Speaking of which... You're clever. Too clever for your own good."

“Killing me will do absolutely nothing, I want you to know that in advance. I’m learning these things because I’m stuck in a time loop and retain what I’ve learned the last time I’ve died.” She giggled. “Clever has nothing to do with it. You and Second both told me yourselves that you were in charge of B and C species respectively. And I know Second’s not human because I’ve seen his anatomy firsthand.”

"..." He frowned. "Let's not discuss this here. And keep your knowledge to yourself for now. People will show up here anytime." And he needed to make sure that no suspicious questions were asked. Just as they wanted to leave, though, Second and Fifth showed up at last. Lunark whistled. "What happened here?"

“Assassins,” Aris answered blithely. “Hi Second!” She greeted cheerily.

"Aris." He nodded. "Are you unharmed?"

“Yes, thanks to Ignes.” Aris leaned to hug her friend.

Ignes giggled, hugging her back. "I'm free to _protect_ you all evening and all night."

“I’m sure your dad would miss you though. Remember how I mentioned the time loop? Second is stuck in it with me so I have to get him up to speed.”

"Riiight." Ignes frowned and stepped away while Roctis considered both of them with narrowed eyes. But alright. "Fifth, assist me with making sure no pertinent information will transpire here."

“Of course.” This would be a bit of a job, but... “We’ll have to remember to cut gas lines. That was why we had that conspiracy theory last time.”

Roctis nodded. And Maduke just offered his arm to Aris. "I liked that blue dress and I still want steak."

Aris giggled. “Of course!” She smirked at Ignes. She’d told her she was getting a date with Second, didn’t she?

Ignes huffed and stuck to Ninth while Maduke took Aris towards the party. "You should be more careful with your knowledge."

“Oh, this? Was deliberate. We found out others as well, and I figured asking people some stuff might well lead to my death anyway.” She giggled. “Once we get out of the loop we’re all set to deal with an internal coup before it even _really_ starts!”

"I think I should do the same," he mused. "Though unfortunately it's exceedingly difficult to get information out of subordinates."

“I’ll go get dressed really quick and tell you what happened on the ride to get that steak, okay?”

"Good." He briefly smacked her rear just lightly. "I'm looking forward to it."

She giggled, jumping up to kiss his jaw before running off. Fifth, seeing that, raised an eyebrow and looked to Fourth. “What the hell is happening?”

"I don't know. She insists she is in some kind of timeloop that allows her to gather information. And that Second is in it too. It's how she uncovered some issues I'll have to deal with."

“I got a text from her earlier. I have no idea how she got my number. And. Wait. I’ll just show you.” Lunark took out her phone to show him the exchange.

"She says she knows he's not human because of his anatomy." Let her deduce whatever she wanted from that.

Lunark blinked and paled. “Oh. Good. At least he’ll stop trying to convince me to marry him, maybe.” Her face very clearly showed her distaste for the idea. In any case... This was strange. And soon, Maduke and Aris sat in a car again. And this time, Maduke maintained an invisible protective aura sigil around them just to make sure. Aris happily explained what went down, down to finding out that the woman that Twelfth had been speaking to was also one of Crombel’s spies. “And... I do think I’ve figured out the species of a few people I previously thought human.”

"Oh?" She really was a clever girl.

She nodded. "You and Fourth aren't science sectors. For you to be in charge of specific species specimens... that would have to mean you have a special connection to them, correct? And you are not human. You don't seem to be a vampire, and fae aren't known for this degree of physical strength. So... the only logical conclusion is that you are a member of Species C, the species you are in charge of, a werewolf. If this is true, then it follows that Fourth, and by extension, Ignes and Seventh, are all Species B, vampire. Which is a conundrum in itself since all of them are very able to be outside during the day. But having seen what Ignes is capable of today and that Fourth is even stronger, I can't say that they're human either, though I know they have identical anatomy."

Maduke chuckled, clapping his hands slowly. "Well done."

"I am correct then?" She giggled.

He nodded to confirm. Of course there were still some pieces missing but she had done solid work so far. "Maybe I'll reward you for your successful investigation."

“Reward?” She leaned against him. She hoped it was romantic in nature.

"I'm not going to say ‘No’ to second desserts." She was well groomed and clean enough to not bother him.

Oh! She giggled. “Now why would I ever say no to you?”

"All your sweet-talk is making me wonder what else that mouth can do," he quipped, brushing his thumb over her lower lip.

She smiled. “I can do a lot.” It didn’t take long at all for her to get to work on him.

Now such things really made long car rides a joy - and really, if this was some test or punishment, it was poorly designed because she made this time loop even better. Feeling content, he ran his hand through her hair, brushing it back and out of her face. "Where have you been hiding all this time before?" Too bad she was just a human.

Aris giggled. “Now, I can’t be hiding if _you’re_ the one who is reclusive, now can I? Everyone I’ve asked says they can’t get you to a party.”

Maduke chuckled as he closed his belt again. "Touché."

“I think I should be the one complaining about _you_ hiding.” She pouted. “How was I supposed to know there was such a great guy just out of reach?!”

He'd have teased her if the car didn't come to a halt in front of the restaurant. Right. Maduke got out first before offering his hand to help her out as well.

Aris took it with a genuine smile. Her first date with her white knight. He’d gotten there too late to participate this time, but... that didn’t change what was going on. This loop. It was a special thing linking them together. “If I have to die, I’m glad I at least get to see you again each time.”

Her words were met with one of Maduke's rare, illegible smiles. She was a good enough entertainment for now. "I'm sure you'd have found alternative ways to entertain yourself."

"Of course! Doesn't mean it'd be _as_ enjoyable as this." She was happy to wrap her arms around his.


	9. Chapter 9

Maduke led Aris into the restaurant - where a table for two in a quiet corner was freed quickly even though they hadn't made any reservations. The staff didn't really dare defy the terrifying aura of the strange guest. Someone else would just have to come another time. A waitress approached to bring two leather bound menus. "Do you already know what you want to drink?"

For a first date? That was a tough call. "How about..." Aris pointed out a couple of possibilities to Maduke, listing their pros and cons. She didn't drink this kind of thing often, but when she did, she drank _fancy_. Came with what she'd had to do to get through school.

The waitress waited patiently, nodding occasionally, and finally Maduke made several choices - he was a generous man. Then, they could move on to the menu in piece.

Aris simply pointed out a tasty looking salad for herself. "I don't tend to eat much, so I try and go for quality when I do."

"Good food is greatly underestimated. _Of course_ you could eat a raw potato and an unsalted piece of meat... But why would you?" He shook his head in disapproval.

"Raw potato? Who does that?" She looked almost disgusted by it, her small nose wrinkling.

"I've seen plenty of things. Though many people, back home... It's already progress when they bother cooking their meat." Pathetic. "And then some even use salt for reasons other than preserving it."

"I take it you are _not_ the type to enjoy a bloody steak then." Since he seemed to dislike the other werewolves' methods of eating.

"No. The texture of raw meat is disgusting." Something most humans agreed with, at least. "I think when this blows over, I'm going to take cooking back up."

"You enjoy cooking?" Oh! That sounded wonderful!

"I enjoy having good food. And you know what they say. If you want something done right, you'll have to do it yourself."

“That you do!” She chirped. “What else do you enjoy?”

"The company of beautiful, witty women. Chess is also an entertaining pastime. Calligraphy is very relaxing."

“Oh! I used to play a bit of chess, in my younger days. I don’t believe I was ever much good at it though. Not like I was at puzzle solving. Calligraphy, you say? I think I’d like to see some sometime!”

"And what do you enjoy, Aris?" Of course he didn't mention his less savoury and civilised hobbies. He was playing a gentleman after all.

“Hmm. Well, aside from my work, I still enjoy doing a bit of light reading and puzzle solving. Reading was... very much an escape when I was younger. The things I learned inspired me to become a scientist. So the love of books, both fiction and non, has remained even until now. And I quite enjoy makeup art as well, and my self-care routine.” She giggled. He already knew that.

"I enjoy prolonged, relaxed baths as well," he agreed. They both were very clean people who took good care of themselves.

“After this is all over, I think we deserve a nice long soak. I know this is your vacation anyway, but...” Dying was _stressful!_

"If this ever ends." And he had his doubts. However, all of this would have to wait a few moments - the waitress returned with their various drinks and took their food orders. "We've been doing fine so far, though."

“We have!” She took a sip of her wine. “So. What is your favourite food?”

Maduke hummed in thought and took a sip of wine as well. "Once, in Morocco I think, I had a stew with lamb... I have not tasted such complex, tender flavours before or after. But for snacks... I enjoy cheese."

“Cheese is good! A lamb stew?”

"The stew struck this perfect balance of lightness and heartiness. It tasted elaborate while remaining simple, with just the right amount of heat and sweetness. It was a masterpiece neither I nor my cooks could recreate. And the original recipe... That, alas, remains a mystery."

She sighed. "A shame. Maybe if you had all the time in the world to perfect the one dish, but... I think you'd get tired of lamb stew at that point."

"I probably would. And ultimately, maybe it's good if there remain some things in the world that leave us wanting."

"Means there's still things to strive for," she agreed. "Oh! You mentioned a dagger collection before?"

"Yes. People used to gift unique pieces of craftsmanship all the time to win my favour. My most prized one, I tend to always carry with me."

"'Tend to'? You don't have it now?" She tilted her head.

"It seems I forgot." He sounded rather disappointed about it. "An Egyptian meteorite steel dagger with a golden jeweled hilt."

"Meteorite steel!? Isn't that supposed to be that really pretty black?"

"Not if it's well maintained. I make sure to keep it as sharp as the day it was forged, back when I was a child."

"Oh!" She giggled. "Okay then. All the pictures I've seen of meteoric iron tend to imply a more crystalline structure and darker metal." She guessed that meant that making it into steel lightened it up a bit. Or maybe it was the fact that she knew nothing about forging.

"Most items are old by now and forged in the damascene way. Also, not all alloys have the exact same composition."

"Yeah. Makes... the teardrop shape, right? I was thinking more about how raw meteoric iron looks. I admit I don't actually know much about actually forging things. I just enjoy having nice sharp things for work. I've actually used obsidian scalpels for some of the finer work!"

"An unusual choice. Not diamond?"

She shook her head. "No. That's more useful if you're trying to get through something hard, or trying to grind something down. Diamond isn't something you can have _sharp_. If you're trying to get through flesh, a more brittle material is actually better because they tend to splinter into unusually sharp edges, letting you make more precise cuts with the resulting blade. Like... you've broken glass before, right?"

Maduke nodded. Aris definitely knew her blades. She giggled. "Then I'm sure you've noticed you get shards that are both fragile and very sharp! Obsidian is... I suppose you'd say it's like if glass and flint had a baby in a volcano. It's a rock, and not as fragile as glass, but it's plenty brittle and you can make some wickedly sharp blades with it."

"How interesting. I've made my share of flint knives, back in my younger days."

"Really easy to get a sharp edge with them if you do it right, right?" It wasn't something she'd done herself, but...

"Yes. More importantly, they're a precise tool. Good for skinning and tanning. An overly sharp knife would be a hindrance for that."

"Ooh, definitely. I'd have thought something like a normal stone knife would be better for that though, since the second one would be more scraping stuff off the hide, right?"

"Ideally, you'll want one edge to be sharp and cutting while keeping the other edge on the blunt side. Like this butter knife here." He held up one of the knives on their table.

"Oh! I see! That makes sense!" She nodded.

"You know quite a lot," he praised.

She twirled a strand of hair awkwardly. "So... I thought I'd mentioned this before, but I do read a lot. When you combine that with my eidetic memory..." Well. It was only natural that she knew a lot. "Normally I have to hide that fact though. Men don't like talking to women smarter than them or who know more on any subject, and there aren't exactly a lot that reach my level." Not like Second clearly did.

"Small men are afraid of challenges. When they see a woman who can hold her own, they feel fear and disdain."

Aris flushed happily at that. "It's a pity so many small men are given as much power as they are when clearly ones like you exist."

"Small men would hardly lift up someone who could actually get to their level, or beyond. They keep each other in power."

She whispered something under her breath that sounded like 'don't I know it'. "I think that might be why I enjoy my babies so much. They don't get a say in doing that either way and it's all under _my_ control."

"I told you so." Maduke snickered, rather pleased with himself. "Control."

“Guess so!” She giggled.

"Many people cannot bring themselves to admit they crave it."

"You too?"

"I don't think it's _control_ I crave." He had no issue admitting this. Much as he was used to controlling everyone and everything around him... "My drug is _wholeness._ "

"Wholeness?" What did he mean by that?

Luckily, the waitress returned with appetizers, small amuse-bouches, courtesy of the chef. "Now, now, I'd say that was enough openness for a day," he commented once they were alone again. "Have fun figuring out what that might mean."

She just smiled. "Okay!" If he wasn't willing to talk, he wasn't willing. It wasn't like she'd let him anywhere near her greatest secrets.

They enjoyed a nice meal, enjoying some light conversation about a variety of topics - and Maduke actually found her much more interesting to talk to than Lunark. Too bad she was just a human. Still, he took her back to Twelfth's mansion where the party was still ongoing, uninterrupted. "Aris!" Twelfth approached her - and stopped. Was that.. the Second Elder? Roctis had mentioned that they had left together, but .... "You're back."

"I am! Have things been going okay here?" She asked cheerfully. She'd had a good night!

"Yes. They still are. Though it's a pity that the guest of honour disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Second, you won't mind if I steal her?"

"I might want to take her back later," he responded with a hint of amusement.

Aris giggled, waving goodbye to Second for now. They’d likely have more fun later. “Yeah, sorry about that. I needed a bit of fun away.”

"You and Second, huh? I did not know you mingled that high," Twelfth noted, leading her back towards the party. Many were still celebrating.

"It's a long story. But you know me, I don't care about his position nearly as much as I do him as a person." She wasn't a climber. Not anymore. She had the spot she wanted. “I like him. He’s handsome and we seem to get along.”

"And Fourth always said no one gets along with him... But then, you do know how to be charming."

"Charming? I've barely had to try. We just have a lot of common interests."

"In any case, you still managed. Did he tell you anything interesting?" There was hardly any intel on him and his divisions.

"About the Union? No. He is rather reticent on that. Anything I know I found out myself."

"Well. Do keep me posted if you hear anything interesting. And now enjoy your birthday party. Despite the assassination attempt."

"I will!" She chirped.

While Aris mingled, Maduke found himself a nice, quiet corner to sip away at a good cognac and smoke some good cigars. For now, he was content enjoying himself in the lounge, observing the immediate surroundings and processing the current situation.

Lunark got a glass of her own. "So. Wild day, huh?"

"Yes. I guess one could say so." He gestured to let her know she may sit down. "It's been a wild couple of days, actually.”

Lunark sat. “Couple of days?”

"It's a long story." He waved his hand dismissively. "Is the incident covered up?"

“Yes. Fourth and I worked quickly.”

"Good." He lit himself another cigar. Chain-smoking, which he only did when he had a lot to think about.

“So... what’s on your mind, Second?” She was familiar enough with his habits to know.”

"Did I mention the Moonmother is fucking with me?"

"I... think you did."

"I'm still figuring out why. And how to fix it. Because, as you and Zaiga once pointed out correctly, time and space might dissolve."

"I... see... Any hints so far?"

"I was discussing research with Doctor Aris when we were struck by lightning. Indoors. During clear skies."

"Can you remember anything specific that might have caused that?"

"I doubt so. I merely wanted to hear more about how specific things work when we were struck by lightning." Maduke shrugged. "Really, it seems quite random. I told you. Fuckery."

"Well. Once you manage to find a pattern, it might get easier. Perhaps keep track of how you were feeling or thinking at the time and have her do the same?"

"I suppose so. It is rather bothersome. And here I am, just enjoying myself." Maduke shook his head and took a sip of his cognac.

"She seems smitten, if I'm reading her right."

"We just had dinner and interesting conversations. She actually can tell when you want a diamond blade and when obsidian is better."

"Oh." A knife was a knife, wasn't it? Just the sharpness that mattered.

"If you wonder, diamond is for hard materials that require precision while obsidian is good for particularly sharp cutting edges."

"I see." Huh. It really sounded like... like the Lord liked her as well. Oh shit, was she going to manage to get out of this whole marriage proposal ordeal!?

"In any case, this is my only lead so far. Doctor Aris." He puffed his cigar. "Curious, isn't it?"

"That you're stuck in a loop with a random scientist? I'll say."

"Indeed. So I suppose I will just enjoy this while it lasts and figure it out as I go. She did uncover some very useful information. You probably heard of Doctor Crombel by now?"

“Yes. He was behind the assassination attempt tonight, correct?” She sipped at her cognac **.**

"Yes. He had access to organs of our species for his experiments. Unauthorized, of course."

“How did...” That was impossible, right? 

"Nobles, too. But of course this knowledge is practically worthless as long as we're looping in time."

She sighed. “Right. So, information gathering it is then?” Both on this subject and the one to stop the loop.

"Exactly." That, and pleasant female company. "She figured out we're werewolves by herself."

“Oh?” How on... “Smart then.”

"Just as she figured out that Fourth, Seventh and Ignes are nobles."

“Hasn’t met Sixth yet then, I take it.” Since he wasn’t in the list.

"No. She has not," he confirmed. "I do wonder where this will end up leading to."

“Where this will end up leading?” Was he, perhaps, confessing and interest in the human scientist? Lunark really hoped so.

"Just what else will we end up uncovering? Do not think I intend to idle either."

“I wouldn’t know. I’d thought we had the werewolf lands pretty well under control, so this is worrying. Last I’d heard, you and I were the only ones with Union connections this deep. Maybe one of our scientists is behind this? And you’re not providing materials, and I don’t have access to them. Or if I do, have no interest in doing so.” This was quite the conundrum. “Unless there’s somehow another source outside our lands?”

"I intend to find out," Maduke assured her. "There will be an explanation." Aris' exceptional visual memory would be useful for that.

“Of course.” She sipped her cognac some more. “What do you intend to do about the scientist once the time loop is finished?” She knew far more than she should already for a human. Even one ranked as she was.

Maduke gave no answer. He had not decided yet - it all depended on whether he still found her entertaining by then or not. However, he would not risk that position possibly transpiring to Aris by accident. Let her think of him as a shining white knight for now.

The usual, then. Maduke would likely kill her and be done with it. Nothing more than a useful tool, just like Lunark herself. And a temporary one at that. Disappointing. It meant she was still on his radar as a potential spouse.

After a polite conversation, Lunark left- and given how much information Aris had unearthed... That was something she respected. She was willing to give the woman a helping hand. After a short search, she tracked Aris down. "You are Doctor Aris, aren't you? Congratulations on your Birthday."

"Oh! Thank you, Lunark." She did already know who she was. "Wait. No. Fifth is more appropriate for a public setting, right?"

"Time Loop?" What else did she know?

"Yes! Oh. We should probably speak privately. Fourth did recommend not saying things out loud."

Lunark nodded and followed Aris. "You managed to find out a lot. I respect that."

"It's not that much, I feel. Especially with how obvious a lot of it is when you just put things together."

"Well. In any case... you found out a dangerous lot, in fact." Lunark leaned against the wall.

"So I've been told." And so the Assassin Squad seemed to indicate.

"Yes. And still, learning so much is still a feat I can respect. That's why I want to warn you."

Aris looked utterly bored with that. "Warn me what?"

"Second is a dangerous man. A man who disposes of people the second they are no longer useful or entertaining to him. I decided you deserve to know that you should look out for yourself. Especially if you make it out of this loop."

"Useful..." She hummed, swivelling a bit. "Everyone is useful. It all depends on how you use them. If he's stupid enough to kill me, that's his problem, isn't it?"

"It is. Though I wager being dead is kind of yours, if dying becomes permanent after this looping."

"What would you have me do, then? Leave the Union? You yourself know what will happen." Fact of the matter was, no matter how much Aris didn't want to die, in the loop or outside of it, there was absolutely nothing she could do if it were someone like Second.

"That's up to you to figure out. I simply decided you deserve to know. Then maybe you might stand a chance after all."

"No offense, but I wish you hadn't told me. There are _so few_ people I can trust. At least pretending gives me peace of mind." She huffed. "Now I'm going to be on edge and might get killed regardless."

"You can ask Fourth to make you forget." Her face was absolutely unmoving.

Aris blinked. "I can? Wait. Would that actually work in a time loop situation?"

"I don't know. In the worst case, you will remember what I told you."

"Right. Suppose I'll go talk to him then! Ah, haven't seen Ignes for a while. Maybe after we can hang out by the pool or something."

Lunark nodded. "I can go with you."

"Okay then. Not enjoying the party as much anymore?" She giggled. Besides Second and Twelfth, she really didn't see any elders _enjoying_ their time with her. Fourth usually seemed like he just tolerated her.

"Oh. I think the party is great. I just... feel a bit sorry for you," she admitted and sought out Roctis who was in the kitchen with Ignes, making sure she drank plenty of water. A red-headed man with an eyepatch sat with them, forced to drink water as well. Urokai had gone to town. "Fourth. Doctor Aris and I have a request. Do you have a moment for privacy?" Roctis nodded and followed Lunark and Aris into a quiet side room. "What did you want to discuss?"

“Fifth and I had a conversation I’d rather not have had and she said you could help with that,” Aris answered.

"... She asks for you to erase her memories of that. Of the last... say... five mintues?" Roctis frowned... and nodded. "Ignes mentioned you figured out... what we are."

“More or less,” she confirmed. “They aren’t massive jumps if you have the right information to put together.”

He nodded. "... That knowledge... I should take it too. For your own safety."

“No. I might need it. I was deliberately causing trouble for more information this loop.” Normally she was more subtle. “Information is its own power. You know that as well. And if I don’t have enough, we might be stuck indefinitely.”

Roctis frowned, clearly not sure what to do. "Alright. I will try to trust you." Then, his eyes began glowing as he placed his hand on her head - and slowly, fog filled her mind, erasing the last ten minutes. Lunark's warning. His own words. It would all be gone once he removed his hand.

“So... is the glowy-eyes thing part of it too?”

He just nodded and slowly lowered his hand and his eyes stopped glowing. If it worked, Aris would now primarily wonder what she was doing here, in this room, with them.

She blinked, looking around. “Huh. Oh! Ignes. I was looking for you. Who’s your friend?”

"That's the Sixth Elder," Roctis explained, stepping away. Good. It must have worked.

“Oh!” He looked a bit young to be an Elder. But she thought the same of Fifth as well. “Cool eyepatch. Where’d you find one with that kind of design?”

"Custom made," he replied, words slurring a bit. It seemed Ignes wasn't the only one overindulging in drinks.

Aris giggled. “Had a bit much to drink then, huh?” Ah. He was cute. If he weren’t an Elder she’d be looking into making him one of her babies.

"That's true for almost all of the guests who are still around," Lunark pointed out.

Fair enough. “You seem fine though.”

Lunark laughed. Aris had never said whether she thought she was a werewolf as well or not. "Working on it."

“I might just head to bed then. If everyone is drunk, then the party will be winding down soon anyway.”

"Probably." Lunark nodded. "Good night." She wondered if Maduke would leave or decide to stick around.

Aris nodded, going off to find Second and tell him she was going to bed as well. And see if he maybe wanted to join.


	10. Chapter 10

Maduke was still in the lounge, chatting with two diplomats, but when Aris approached, he easily turned his attention to her. In this time loop, they were the only people that mattered.

Oh! Others who weren’t drunk! Well. They didn’t matter anyway, so... “I’m headed to bed since the party is winding down. You’re welcome to join if you don’t have anywhere else to sleep.” And they could have a bit of fun, maybe.

He couldn't exactly remember the last time he'd actually co-slept with someone. But in this loop... Besides, he had a hunch Aris wouldn't try to murder him in his sleep just yet. "I'll join you. Spokonoje noch, gospodja." He nodded to the men before offering his arm to Aris.

Oh! She hadn’t imagined he’d come immediately. She flushed a bit, her heart pounding. “Don’t worry, my bed should be plenty comfortable for two.”

"That's something we noted already." Her bed _was_ very soft.

She giggled. “Yes, but _that_ is still easy even in a twin bed. Sleeping is not. Not everyone is a sound sleeper.” Some rolled around. Some snored. Some punched in their sleep.

"Are you?" He wasn't even particularly tired and doubted he'd do more than have a short nap, actually.

“Usually, yes.”

"I'm not particularly tired. But I wouldn't be opposed to a nap."

“A nap?” Well. She giggled. “That’s fine. Do... _you_ just not need as much sleep?” As in werewolves.

"No. I usually nap about two to three hours a night. That's plenty."

“I’m not sure I can entertain you while I’m asleep, but if you find something to do, go ahead.”

"I'm my own entertainment." He closed the bedroom door behind them.

She smiled. “I’ll be ready for bed shortly.”

Maduke nodded and began undressing down to his underwear. "I wouldn't mind a shower." He always enjoyed those.

"The en-suite has one. I need one too after the assassination attempt. Dust _everywhere_." She was already headed for it.

He simply followed. Showers together were always quite entertaining.After a bit of... shower fun, Aris made a point of going through her sleeping lingerie. "This, you think? Or this one?" She held each up for his approval.

Many of them only had minute differences. "What is _the point_ of it, though?"

"To look cute, of course!" She giggled. If none of them caught his fancy though, she'd wear a random one.

"Why not just sleep without?" It wasn't even about sex, there was only so much he cared for in a day, but from a practical perspective...

Fair enough, she supposed. She put it down and simply came over. "I'm used to sleeping with clothes on. Those are my sleepwear. But I can try it without."

Skin on skin. That was the best way to sleep. Especially in the unpleasant Californian heat. "We're still alive so today must have gone well."

"You know, even if we did die, I'm inclined to agree. Today was just good in general." She snuggled up next to him. Thank goodness for AC, he was as hot as any furnace.

Maduke shifted to drape one arm over her. She was small and besides looking great and flattering when riding him, also pretty comfortable to hold. "Sleep well."

“You too.” It didn’t take long for her to nod off at all. Having him around was comforting.

As expected, Maduke didn't fall asleep for another two hours, and woke up again soon after, listening to the sounds of the ongoing party and the city. Human cities never truly went to sleep. He only shifted when the sun rose, blinding light falling through the curtains right into his face.

His movement got Aris waking up too, the light rousing her further. “Morning,” she mumbled.

"Morning." His throat was dry and looking around, he noticed a significant lack of water. No good. "I'll get something to drink."

“Okay.” She rolled over and easily to her feet, rubbing her eyes. She was _not_ a morning person. “Ugh. I need coffee.”

Maduke just got dressed, deciding to skip the coat. Why would he go back home now? Briefly, he wondered if Lunark was still around. "Then let's get you some."

“Yeah.” Ah. She had to get dressed first though. It was a quick job and she’d be back up in a bit to primp properly. Together, they went downstairs, past some people passed out on couches and in armchairs. The kitchen was still empty at this early hour.

Aris came to a halt shortly near a counter, frowning. “I died here before. While getting coffee.”

"Now be careful about that." He'd really rather not have her die because then he'd die as well.

“I’ll do my best.” She was always fuzzy and more vulnerable before her morning coffee. “Um. I think it’s on a high shelf and I was getting a stool for it. Can you get it down?” She pointed up into a glass fronted cabinet you could clearly see the coffee can in.

Ah. There. Maduke reached up easily, being two heads taller than Aris. "There you go."

“Thank you!” She chirped, happily moving to the coffee maker to get some going. A full pot. It wouldn’t do to be rude and only make some for herself in Twelfth’s kitchen after a major party.

While she made coffee, Maduke actually found orange juice in the fridge. Good enough. He leaned against the counter. The nobles probably had left during the night.

“Wonder how many stayed over,” Aris mused. “I hope someone was smart enough to take Yuri’s room since he’s effectively fired.”

"He's a wanted man now." Maduke opened the fridge back up to see if there was anything that would do as breakfast - and reached for a half block of Gouda. That would do.

“That he is.” She listened to the sound of coffee filling the pot. “Ah... mugs. Yuri made coffee last loop. Well. Last one I _survived_ this long.” Where were they? Maduke was just content watching her, chomping into his cheese block.

She went through the cabinets, eventually finding some... way too high. The cups were a reasonable height, but the mugs? “You’d think Twelfth would have taken my need for coffee into account while arranging things.” Given that he had arrange that room for her.

Wordlessly, Maduke stepped closer and got two mugs. If she was making coffee already, he'd have some too. “Ah! Thank you!” Coffee. She’d have her needed coffee soon!

"I assume our goal is to make it to the summit for now?"

Aris nodded. “It’s as reasonable a goal as any. We’ll figure out what to do from there.” And see if they could learn anything else.

Maduke nodded. "That's tomorrow. If the invitation came again. Funny, it's in the middle of the party, then?" Little did he know that this was all the snap idea of a drunk man.

Aris snorted. “Looks like it. Oh, isn’t that Third and Gio?” She nodded over to two figures slumped on each other in the corner.

"Who?" He was vaguely aware of the Third Elder, but not the man he was with.

"I think Twelfth said he was Third's boyfriend?"

"Ah. I don't keep track of their personal lives."

"Kinda weird how many Elders showed up to the party of a mere scientist." Aris happily added some sugar and creamer to her coffee and sipped at it.

"They're not here for you. They're here for the party."

She giggled. "Fair enough. Still! There were almost all of them. The only ones I didn't see were... I think Eighth and First?" Aris moved out of the way of the coffee pot as 'Gio' seemed to have woken up and gotten a mug.

Maduke observed the man for a moment. "No surprise. No one has seen the First Elder ever since he took over some five or seven, I don't know, maybe ten years ago."

"People saw him then, or...?" What did he mean by that?

"I don't know. But his identity is a well kept secret. No surprise, given how First Elders don't tend to live for very long."

"Why's that?"

"Between people who think that killing the First Elder is like cutting off the snake's head and ambition..."

Aris hummed. "Ineffective and inefficient." There were better ways to go about that. Merely killing someone...

"In any case, I am not aware of anyone who knows the First Elder personally. Do you, Third?" Maybe he was moderately awake by now.

Knowing his beloved boyfriend couldn’t say anything, Third nodded. “He’s a bit of a dumbass.”

"Is he?" Maduke sat down on a bar stool, still working on eating the entire cheese block. "So you met him?"

“I have,” Third confirmed.

"So. What _is_ he like?"

“How do you mean?” What exactly kind of answers were they looking for from him?

“No. I want to know this one. Tell me, what kind of man _is_ First?” ‘Gio’ asked.

"He's passionate. A dumbass, but a passionate one." Third grabbed a cup of coffee as well. "He cares."

Aris watched the dumb smile on Gio’s face with interest as he spoke. “Does he now? Interesting.” He sipped his coffee to hide his grin and threaded his fingers with Third’s, pulling him away.

Maduke didn't miss the reaction either and exchanged a glance with Aris. Did she have the same suspicions? "Maybe we'll get to meet him for ourselves tomorrow."

“Maybe.” She snickered. _Wow_ that was obvious. “At first it sounded like Gio over there might have been _jealous_ , but...”

"Not a good early morning hangover actor, is he?" He snickered and sipped his coffee which absolutely didn't go with his block of cheese.

“Doesn’t look like it, no.” Ah. “So he and Third are _definitely_ together then.”

"How interesting. So any decision made will likely greatly favour Third over the other human Elders." And Third was the confirmed gateway to First, then.

"Yup." She took another swig of her coffee. "Will make the summit interesting, at least." Even if 'First' was a no-show again. "... What time does the summit notice go out, anyway? I'm always told about it today by Yuri."

"Yesterday, between two and three hours after the start of our loop." Maduke set down his coffee mug, watching a man in underwear drag himself towards the coffee machine.

Aris blinked. "Third takes a drunk Gio to the bathroom immediately after I step out."

He hummed, waiting until they were alone again. "I would have recognised his voice. In meetings, someone stands in for him. And that someone was sober enough to actually send a message to the Union. On behalf of the drunk real deal who had this idea during this party."

“Looks like.” She giggled. The summit was a drunken man’s decision and the rest of the Union decided to just go with it.

"The Union really is a joke at times," Maduke mumbled, finishing his coffee.

“A fun one though,” Aris chirped, cheery again now that she’d had her morning caffeine.

"Oh I agree." He set down his mug. "I think I should drop by at home before tomorrow, though."

“Oh?” She wondered what for. Wait. “Ugh. Ignes will have left by now!”

"Ah. Probably." Huh. They were really close friends, then? "In any case. Try not to die."

“Yeah. I was just trying to keep trusted friends nearby just in case.” She huffed. “And Ignes is _very_ strong.”

"Hm. You have Fifth's number, don't you?" He could just assign her to babysit Aris for a day.

“I do!”

"Then I'll call her. She'll guard you until tomorrow."

“Okay.” Aris’s phone was in her room. “I’ll go get ready for the day. My phone is upstairs too.”

"I left my coat there anyway." He finished the last bite of cheese and got up.

As they got up there, Aris unlocked her phone and handed it to him before entering the bathroom to get ready. It would take her some time.He took a few moments to find the number and dial. Hopefully Lunark was somewhere with network reception.

“Yeah?” She answered. In a more hushed tone, she continued, “ _Urokai, shut up. We got your slurpee._ ”

"... Good morning, Lunark. If you haven't seen the message yesterday, there's a Union summit in Japan tomorrow. I need you here to make sure Doctor Aris survives until then. Because it seems that if she dies, then so do I."

“Ah. Okay. So... back at Twelfth’s new summer home?”

"Yes. I will return home for the day and will find you tomorrow. Don't fail me." With that, he ended the call and grabbed his coat.

Rude! But then, her Lord was always rude during calls like this. “Urokai, I’ve got babysitting duty back at Twelfth’s. You wanna come along?” Or would he rather head home?

"Babysitting duty?" He inquired before returning to sipping on his breakfast slushie.

"Doctor Aris. The woman who's birthday it was who also almost got assassinated yesterday."

"Oh. Okay then. Didn't I meet her yesterday?" He had been kinda drunk so he was not sure.

“Yeah. She thinks your eyepatch is cool.”

"Right?" Urokai grinned. "It's my festive partypatch."

“Very cool,” Lunark agreed. “How much alcohol do you still have in your system, anyway? Are you able to just keep it indefinitely?”

"No idea, never tried, I am mostly sober at this point, though." He nodded confidently.

Lunark chuckled. “So, you want to help, or are you headed home?”

"Eh, I'll come along. It's not like I have anything better to do," he admitted. Hanging out with Lunark was fun enough and he wondered why she would have to guard some scientist.

“Alright then.” Shouldn’t take too long to get back from outside the convenience store. Even if they were several towns away.


	11. Chapter 11

Half an hour later, Lunark and Urokai arrived at the villa, clearing of the last of the guests. "Doctor Aris." Poor woman. "Second instructed me to make sure nothing happens to you until the summit."

“Okay! Normally I’d ask Yuri, but, well...” She tilted her hand. He wasn’t there now because he’d tried to kill her.

"That's what we're here for," Lunark nodded. "Did... Second actually stay over?"

“Yes? He left just a bit ago,” Aris confirmed. “Does he normally eat just a whole block of cheese for breakfast?”

"... No?" Lunark frowned. But then again, she didn't really know what the Lord usually ate on a day to day basis.

Okay then. "Going to have to figure out my schedule for today. Yuri usually handles that. I should go find Twelfth, I think."

"Actually. What do you worry you might die from?" She questioned.

"It's rather random each time. The first one Ignes drowned me, second and third ones were from accidents. Fourth death Seventh snapped my neck. _Deliberately_. And I'm still not happy with him about that. Fifth one I was electrocuted. I met Second on that one! Sixth one a chandelier fell on Second and I. Seventh Yuri killed me. Eighth death Second accidentally snapped my neck - he was having a heart attack and lost control of his arms. Ninth a random lightning bolt struck us. Tenth time we died in a car crash. And now we're here!"

Lunark and Urokai exchanged glances. That was... Concerning. And pretty much too crazy to just be made up, probably. "So stay nearby at all times?"

“Unfortunately, yes.” She sighed. “It’s like the universe is out to destroy me. Repeatedly. Our current goal is to make it to the summit since that’s where we first met. We hope to find some answers about this time loop in the process.”

"Yes... that would be good." Lunark nodded. Just a day and a few hours. Then maybe they would be lucky.

She giggled. “On the plus side we do figure out all kinds of neat things from the loop when different things happen! Just like this morning!”

"Oh?" Urokai tilted his head. He had been out with Lunark since about three in the morning.

“Yeah. Looks like First and Third are sleeping together, if that’s anything to go by.”

"But didn't Third spend the whole evening with that blond guy?" And he definitely didn't sound like the First Elder. Or had the same build.

“Yeah. That was him.” Aris shrugged. “Probably uses a stand in for his work.”

"Oh. That... Makes sense." Lunark blinked. If this time loop ever ended... Maduke might become even more dangerous with how much he might unearth.

“Oh, hey. You always show with Second. What kind of relationship do you to have?” Obviously not romantic, but. “Since it seems most Elder positions are rooted in nepotism, I mean. What with First being with Third, and then Seventh being Fourth’s brother...” In-law or otherwise.

"I'm his protégé, so to say." Though Maduke would prefer if it were more than that. "I once offended him upon our first encounter and I think he got me on board hoping I'll make a mistake that'll get me killed." She snorted. Only half a joke.

“Oh.” Aris snorted as well. “Oh hey, Sixth. Your eye is red. Didn’t notice before. Enhancement or natural?”

Urokai grinned. "Natural. Rare genetic condition. Pretty cool, right?"

“So like Ignes?”

"Yeah! She's like, a distant cousin. It runs in the family."

“Oh! I see. Makes sense.” She giggled, filing that information away while Lunark facepalmed, tugging on Urokai the way she did when she wanted him to read her mind. _Congratulations. You just told her you’re a noble._

Urokai frowned. What?! He glanced at Aris suspiciously. How did she know of Roctis and Zarga anyway?Aris simply led the way to Twelfth. “Hello! Um. Do you happen to know where Yuri would have left my schedule? Since I don’t have an assistant anymore...” She was going to need to keep up with that herself.

"I don't know either. Also. You didn't see DA-5 last night." Twelfth looked pretty hungover himself.

“No, I didn’t. Are they still here?” She could visit them, she supposed. “Things got pretty hectic.” What with the assassination attempt.

"I sent them to standby in the vicinity."

She nodded. “I actually can’t meet them in person. Takeo I already have- as someone else. The rest... are fine, but it’s unfair to meet with anyone besides Kranz if I can’t meet with them all at once. Takeo aside, since that’s part of keeping him a functional soldier. I’ll make sure they get a note thanking them for coming.”

Twelfth frowned at her but, after a few seconds of thinking, decided he wasn't going to bother with that now. "We're going to a summit tomorrow."

“Mhm. In Japan.” She normally got the memo from Yuri this morning.

"Preparing for that is your priority." He rubbed his temples.

She nodded. "Want me to get you some hangover meds?"

"Yes." Twelfth simply buried his head in his hands. "Don't mix tequila, cocaine and other substances."

Urokai shifted. “It can’t be _that_ bad.”

“You started crying over how cute rice was,” Lunark argued.

“... Right. I’m just going to go get that medicine,” Aris responded.

"The corns were all tiny," Urokai muttered. But yeah okay he absolutely could see Lunark's point. It didn’t take long for Aris to get back at all with the pills, along with a cup of coffee to help. “Here you go! Caffeine tends to help with headaches in general.”

Twelfth nodded and swallowed the pills dry before emptying the coffee in one large swig. "We should have such parties more often."

Aris giggled. “I think that’s why First called the summit.”

"Do I bring the drugs?" He snickered. Anything was more fun when you took some substances.

“If you want. I’m sure no one will protest.”

"You hardly participated at your own party though. You went to bed before midnight."

“It’s been... an exhausting few days. Between work and that assassination attempt I wasn’t really feeling up to more partying than I’d already done,” she answered apologetically.

Twelfth nodded understandingly. "We'll find you a new assistant."

“Thank you. I know I say it a lot, but you really are the best boss anyone could ask for!”

He waved his hand with a chuckle. "I'm going back to sleep."

“Of course. Um. I know it’s your house, but maybe you should go to your room. Lots of people are waking up and becoming active.” The couch was comfortable, sure. But privacy was best for a good rest.

Right. He got up and dragged himself upstairs towards where his room was. Lunark whistled. "Quite a party, really."

Aris nodded and giggled. “Nobody throws them quite like Twelfth does.” Between the military contacts and the drug money contracts, they were pretty set for any kind of recreational item they might need.

"I agree. The old union parties were fun, but this..." Lunark sighed wistfully.

“Old Union parties?”

"This isn't the first union party ever. Just the first one in a long time. And maybe the biggest."

“Given that all but Eighth was here, I’d say so!” She still didn’t know what Eighth looked like.

"Eight is a weirdo," Urokai mumbled.

“A weirdo?” She tilted her head.

"I don't like his vibes," the redhead confirmed and sat on the couch.

Aris just giggled. Bad vibes, huh? “Are mine bad too?”

"Yours are okay," he assured with a shrug. "Most people seem okay I guess."

Fair enough. “So, Ignes’s cousin, huh? You into the same kind of stuff?”

"Uh not really. I don't think we have much in common apart from a great great grandmother or something."

“Not a scientist. Got it!” She chirped. “And no rom-coms?”

"Wait, rom-coms?"

“Yeah. We watch them sometimes. When we have movie night.”

"Oh!" Urokai burst out laughing. "Ignes actually likes those?!"

“Yeah? She doesn’t like horror flicks, so those are out. And I don’t think she understands the plain comedy ones.”

"That's funny. I'm totally gonna tease her for it. It's what big cousins do."

“Hmm? Do you have a favourite movie type then?”

"Oh I don't really watch movies." He waved his hand. "Anyway. What are we doing now?"

“Well. I suppose I have to go pack for the summit but then I’m free for the rest of the day.” Since she didn’t have a schedule.

Lunark sighed. "Well. I'm supposed to just make sure you don't die."

“Doesn’t mean it has to be boring! I’m sure we can find something fun to do.”

"Something that doesn't put you at random risks," Urokai pointed out.

Aris tilted her head. “Correct.”

"So." Lunark sat down as well. "What do you suggest?"

“There’s television, but Sixth already didn’t seem interested in that. Board games? If we can manage to go out we could hit up an arcade or library or something.” Those were harmless, right?

"Up to you." Lunark nodded. "I'm alright with board games. Urokai can go get us some."

"Then that's what we'll do!"

"Why me?" He huffed.

"Because you're sturdy and less likely to be hit by a car or random lightning," Lunark replied bluntly. And so Urokai left to get them board games.

"Since it's just us girls now I guess we can go get packed!"

Lunark nodded. "Alright." It was rather bothersome she didn't even have anything to switch into.

"Um. So. Did you... not bring anything then? I might have some oversized things you can try, but..." The size difference even between she and Lunark was rather apparent.

"Ah. Not really. I thought it'd be a short trip," she admitted.

"Hmm." Aris carefully picked out some things for herself and set them in her suitcase before going through her closet. "Here we are. Some of these don't fit me since they're too big. You can see if any will work for you." She'd actually planned on trying to dress up Ignes in them, but if Fifth could fit, that would work just fine for her as well.

Lunark undressed and began trying the other things. Maduke's scent still clung to this room. "I don't know where I left my cloak."

"You don't? We can try retracing your steps after this."

"Hm. Yes, that would be good." Lunark nodded. One of the dresses actually fit her but that would make for a poor choice if she needed to fight.

Oh! Nice! "You can keep that one, if you want. I was just going to see if Ignes wanted it later."

"Ah, it's okay. Dresses aren't practical for combat situations, so I'm trying to go for more practical things." Though she wouldn't be opposed to cute shirts, maybe...

Aris waved a hand. "If there's anything else that fits, help yourself. Like I said, I can't wear those. And I never intend to get big enough to, so I have no use for them."

"I'll give Ignes a chance to try it herself." She removed the dress to try a cute shirt instead.

"If you say so." She giggled. Well. Ignes _was_ one of her favourite dress up dolls.

"Hey. This is pretty nice actually." The pink kind of underlined the colour of her eyes.

"The offer still sta~ands," she sing-sang, going into the bathroom to grab some toiletries. She did hope Fifth would take some. That would get her more closet space.

"Okay." Lunark chuckled. She could tell Aris would be happy to get rid of things.

Aris zipped up the last of what she'd need at the summit into her suitcase. "Now then. When you're done, we can go find your cloak!" Since Aris needed to stay close anyway.

"My cloak. Yes. I took it off when I got here and left it with a bunch of other coats." She assumed that someone might have abused it as a blanket.

"Hmm. Second found his easily enough... well. It'll be somewhere around here!" That was easy enough. "The rooms aren't exactly open except to some of the others who regularly stay with Twelfth. So it'll likely be wherever in the living areas people crashed."

Lunark followed Aris. Hopefully Urokai would come back with board games soon. After a short search, they found her cloak crumpled up in a corner, half in a puddle of... "Great."

Aris whistled. "Laundry room is this way. We can get that done, but it'll take a bit."

"Yeah." She definitely would need to wash this. "That was quite a party."

"Too much fun does come with its consequences!" And it seemed whomever had taken Fifth's cloak had learned that.

"I guess so." Her nose wrinkled as she picked up her cloak carefully. With the Californian temperatures, it should dry quickly after washing though. "I wouldn't mind relaxing by the pool until Urokai gets back."

"Sure! I'll need some sunscreen first though." She was _not_ going to let this sunshine ruin her complexion.

Lunark nodded. Once Aris had put on sunscreen, they both laid down by the pool. What a nice morning. "Do you usually live here?"

"No. I live in Paris. Twelfth just has rooms for me in all of his estates in case he needs me for something. This one is actually a new purchase! This party was to break it in, so speak."

"Paris? That's a great city." Lunark nodded.

"Right!? Small food portions, nice sweets, good fashions..." Aris giggled. "And it's very pretty besides. Work tends to keep me from home a lot, but when I _can_ go, it's great!"

"I also like Mexico city and Buenos Aires." She was more familiar with southern American cities, really.

Aris inclined her head. "Twelfth is fond of them too."

"He's from Cuba, isn't he?"

"Yup! Says he misses the beaches there sometimes."

"I haven't been in a while. I might go again at some point." She really stayed home a lot recently.

"I'm sure Twelfth wouldn't mind showing you around a bit. He's rather proud of his home, even if, like all lands, it has its flaws."

"I've been before. But I might ask regardless." Contacts and connections. They were important.

Aris laughed. "Locals as tour guides are _always_ a boon. They know where the _really good_ spots they'd normally squirrel away from the public are."

"True." She joined Aris' laugh and closed her eyes, enjoying the sun. They were much further south than home after all.

"So. You're Second's protege then? What's that like?"

Lunark hummed. "He's exacting. He knows what he's doing but that doesn't make him agreeable or easy to get along with."

“Better than the ones who _don’t_ know what they’re doing and still aren’t agreeable or easy to get along with. I’ve dealt with enough of those in my life.” She sighed, shaking her head. “And those men usually are the ones who like to think they’re better than everyone else, even though they’re bottom-feeders.”

"You know your fair share of those guys, huh?"

“You don’t?” Aris raised an eyebrow. “They’re everywhere. You can’t take two steps among civilians without finding whole handfuls.”

"No. My social circle is... Okay. Though working for Second is pretty... Well. You have lots of secrets when you're in the union."

“I’d think you’d have met some even before now. They tend to start targeting you the moment you hit puberty, after all.” Unless maybe Lunark was shielded from all that somehow. It was possible. Maybe she was a government official’s daughter who got an in that way.

Lunark coughed slightly. Bad moment to mention her precious looping buddy kinda did that? "I actually started working for Second very early. Not really fully an adult yet, back then."

“Not what I meant. I suppose you don’t get it then.” Good for her, Aris supposed. Definitely sheltered.

"Uhm. No." Tails usually served as a great reminder for other werewolves that someone was definitely not old enough for then yet. "I guess I had it pretty lucky." If Maduke hadn't told Aris anything... In some future timeline her alternative self might thank her for not ruining whatever game Maduke was playing.

“So. What’s home like for you?” If she always arrived with Second, she assumed they lived pretty close.

"I used to live with my parents, but ever since they passed... it got quiet." Still, she did not want to move into the castle even though she did have a room reserved just for her in case she changed her mind.

“Can’t relate. I burned my parents’ house down.” With them still inside.

Lunark blinked. "...You did?"

“There was no reason not to.”

"Okay." She decided it would be better not to ask about that. "Is there anything to drink around here?"

“Oh! Yeah. Fridge should still have some things.” Aris shifted to rise.

With a sigh, Lunark rose to follow her. Burning her house down... Well. She would rather not tap into that. "Do you think Sixth will be back soon?"

“Hopefully. Maybe we can find something on TV in the meantime?” Sixth wasn’t interested, but maybe Fifth would be?

"Alright." She would have a glass of coke while Aris would find something for them to watch.

As they settled in the living room and Aris flipped on the television, she asked, “what kind of stuff do you like?”

"I actually like music channels best."

“Music channels?” Ah... maybe... “I’m not familiar with American television. Let’s see what we can find.” Lunark nodded,sipping at her drink. Hopefully they would find something.

They settled on something called ‘MTV’. There seemed to be music playing right now. Good. “There you go!”

Good. She could try and keep up with pop culture - except after two clips... Huh. Something about dating? Lunark raised an eyebrow. So did Aris. “Huh. I remember this channel from when I was younger. It’s... changed a lot.”

Something about a bisexual woman who had plenty of male and female candidates to choose from. "That's..." Trashy.

Aris’s nose wrinkled. “Good for her, I guess?” Airing one’s business all over the world with this kind of stuff was... “This is what’s popular these days? I know I’m buried in work, but...”

"I am not conservative at all, but..." Lunark shook her head in disapproval. And the way these people acted...

“Let’s find something else.” Aris didn’t like this kind of thing, she didn’t think. Drama was great and all, but that was just weird.

They watched some more TV - until Urokai returned with some board games. Aris beat them at Cluedo about twenty times before they had lunch - and it was during that lunch that Aris choked on a piece of food that had gone the wrong way.


	12. Chapter 12

"Fuck!" Maduke growled in annoyance. What happened? One moment, everything was fine, the next, something just blew up in the kitchen when he just tried to make a lunch out of some nostalgia. Ugh. Lunark. He sat on his throne, distinctly annoyed, when he summoned her before him.

“Yes, Lord?” She kneeled before his throne.

"You failed me. You had _one_ task and you failed it."

“... Lord?” Her phone buzzed.

"You were supposed to keep us alive. And it's Monday again, so you clearly fucked that up."

“Lord, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you... need a break?”

He snickered. "Was that your phone?"

“Yes, Lord.” Probably some chain text or something. Maybe Urokai sent a cat picture. But she was not at leave to check it right now.

"What is it?"

She took it out, her eyebrows rising. “I don’t recognise the number, but they say to tell you they choked on a piece of broccoli?”

"A piece of broccoli. Seriously, Lunark? You didn't prevent even that?"

“I don’t even know what’s going on!” And it wasn’t like it was easy to keep people from choking!

"You keep failing me, you know. Reply that it was a gas explosion."

“Okaaay.” She typed it out, sending it soon after. Failing him. What on Earth was she doing to fail her Lord? She got another response soon after. “... They ask if you think it’s because you separated.”

Maduke hummed in thought. Maybe. "Only one way to know." He stood. "I'll see you at the summit, Lunark."

“Summit?” What?

He simply walked off and headed straight over the ocean to get to the party. Busy as usual.

Aris seemed to have pulled Twelfth aside to speak with him privately, explaining Crombel, Yuri, and Marie to him. She could not risk being stuck alone with Yuri again. Not with how limiting that would be.

Twelfth gave an understanding nod. Of course Aris would fear for her safety under such circumstances. "DA-5 are here tonight. That's what they are here for. Protecting you."

“Umm... I might have to speak with Takeo privately. He... doesn’t know I’m _me_ and might take offence. He’s a sensitive boy.”

"..." Twelfth raised an eyebrow. "One of your antics again?"

“ _Antics_.” She chuckled. “No. He’s a sensitive boy with no killing instinct, but he’s the best sniper we’ve ever gotten. It’s a game for me, sure. But more than that, it’s to give him a reason to kill. If he thinks a _dear, sweet, sick_ sibling is in danger if he doesn’t do his job...”

"... And you decided to take on an alternative identity?" Great.

“Well... it’s not like I have a last name as that one. Maybe I can combine the two.” That might work well, actually. “I’ll have Kranz disarm Takeo and have him speak with me privately.”

Twelfth nodded. "Not the way I'd celebrate my birthday, but yes, this is something you should take care of."

“I can’t believe my babies had time to come see me though! You’re the best!”

He chuckled. "I sure hope so. Now, go and enjoy your party before cleaning up this mess."

“I will~!” She sing-sang. Now to find Kranz and explain the plan to him.

On her way, Maduke intercepted her. "There you are." He'd even had time to grab a drink since his arrival.

"Second! Hello!" She reached for a quick hug almost on instinct, she was so happy to see him.

He chuckled and patted her back with his free hand. "Missing me already?"

"Maybe a little~," she teased. "Things always start out so hectic! So many things to take care of to try and keep things running smoothly!"

"Why, though?" The question was genuine. "Why settle the Crombel issue ad infinitum?"

"Because if the Crombel issue isn't settled, then I'm stuck with Yuri. Who might kill me if the wrong moves are made. Settling it now takes him out of the equation." She huffed. "It's tiring, but since I can't trust my assistant..."

"I can send out an assassination order, you know." That was not much effort, really. What was a human life?

"Oh?" He could, huh? She pouted. "That takes the fun out of it, so only until he can be dealt with on a more permanent basis, okay? Then he's _mine_."

Oh that was... So _malicious_ , it was utterly delicious. And a certain predatory gleam in his eye might give away that this was _appealing._ "I wouldn't dare taking that away from you."

"Then we're in agreement!" She giggled. _Good_. He got it!

"Now..." He placed a hand against the small of her back. Actually, that was so appealing, he'd really rather take her somewhere private and ... "You think separation is what got us killed?"

“I won’t discount it as a possibility. We’re partners in this, after all!” The way he was holding her... it was nice. She liked it.

"Mysteriously so." Although.... It really _was_ a pity she was just a human. If Aris were a werewolf... She was intelligent in a way Lunark failed to live up to. Unlike Lunark, Aris actually was aware of her potential and honed it, too.

“I’ve got Takeo to deal with today. If the method I’m planning works out, I’ll have a rather dedicated protector if I repeat it.”

"I'll have a drink and a smoke then and let you deal with this."

"I'll come see you after it's done. Promise." She tilted her head. "Well. Assuming it goes well and he doesn't kill me. If he does, I know it's not possible and I'll have to arrange something. If he believes me though..." She giggled. "Much more to use him for."

"Good luck." He pulled away and headed off to find himself a comfortable observation spot.

Aris continued her search for Kranz. "Ah! There you are!" She enveloped him in her usual hug. One of her precious babies!

"Doctor Aris." Krantz stood, letting her hug him.

She pulled away a bit. "Have Takeo disarmed and send him to my room. I'm going to talk with him privately before addressing the rest of DA-5. Otherwise he'll be quite angry to find out that _I'm_ Doctor Aris."

"... Yes. He will." Krantz nodded and headed outside to get Takeo who was waiting with the rest of the squad by the pool minibar. "Takeo. Leave your weapons here and come with me."

"What?" Well, orders were orders. He set his sniper case down and took his pistol belt off.

He waited for Takeo to finish disarming before leading the way. "There is someone who wants to meet you," he explained as he approached Aris' room.

"Someone who wants to meet me?" In this room. Doctor Aris, perhaps? But why just him then?

Krantz gestured at the door and Takeo swallowed before entering carefully. Why did he have to disarm...?

"Onii-san!" 'Teira' ran up to hug her 'brother'.

"Teira!", he gasped, taken by surprise when she suddenly jumped at him. What was she doing here? She was sick and should be resting, not out on such a party! Still, he wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Um. Onii-san. I need to talk to you. Can we sit down?” Aris nodded to Kranz, since Takeo had left the door open.

Krantz quietly closed the door while Takeo nodded, sitting on the little bench at the footend of the bed. "Are you alright? How did you get here?"

“My assistant brought me! Um. But... I haven’t been entirely truthful with you. I’ve been kinda scared you won’t love me anymore afterwards. So you gotta promise to at least listen to the whole thing, okay?”

Teira... had an asisstant? Why did she have an assistant...? He frowned but nodded. "Of course I'll always love you." _You are my sister._

“So... you remember how I’m sick, right?” She fidgeted, playing up being nervous about her explanation.

"... Yes?" His brows furrowed in worry.

"Well... you were sick too. Sicker than I was. I know you don't remember, but..."

"... I was?"

She nodded. "I... like medicine. It's something I'm good at. So when I was offered the chance at an official medical lab, an opportunity to save both of us..."

" ..." Takeo frowned, not sure where this was going.

"Takeo onii-san. _I'm_ the reason we joined the Union. It was my decision, to try and save you. Not the other way around. DA-5... they had the same illness. And it could only be fixed with very specific enhancements."

"... Wait. What do you mean?"

“... I’m saying that you were enhanced to save you. That... that _I_ enhanced you to save you. And that the process took your memories with it.” Big crocodile tears silently fell down her cheeks. “I... our last name. It’s ‘Aris’.”

"... You.... _you_ were Doctor Aris all along?" He stood, taken aback by this new information, and did not even know what to do with this knowledge now.

She nodded silently, a warble entering her voice as she drew her knees up, appearing to curl in on herself. “I... I told you you might not love me anymore after this. Even if I’m just doing my best... I know the enhancement process was painful. You have no reason not to hate me for it. None of you do. Not when none of you can remember why you went through it.”

"Why... why didn't you even ever tell me anything?! Why did you - if you're healed -"

"I'm not. Why do you think I remember and you don't? I'm the only one who knows the full treatment method, so... all I can do for now is small things to make me a _little_ better. And it never lasts forever." She sighed. "If I can maybe find a way to not lose my memories, I'll be allowed to go through with it too."

"... You..." Takeo swallowed. That was _a lot_ to take in.

"... I know. But! I was told I could maybe join your group when I got in! Look!" She jumped up, going through her closet for something. "I even had a cool battle costume made for it!"

"And why didn't you tell me?!" He didn't care about the battle costume.

She shrunk noticeably. "You... hate 'Doctor Aris', don't you? You've never said nice things at all whenever we've talked. So I... thought that maybe, I should just try being the cute little sister you always loved. Even if that wasn't the whole truth."

No. That... Could that be right? Takeo took a step back, brushing his hair out of his face with a shaky hand.

"... I'm sorry. I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore." Her arms fell, her 'cool battle costume' brushing the ground just like her gaze.

Takeo simply stormed out of the room, too wound up, upset and confused to really react or process what he'd heard. He couldn't think clearly. Not now.

Aris took a deep sigh, calling Kranz in to speak afterwards. "That went... about as well as it could, I think. Keep an eye on him and make sure he stays well. The rest... this is a party. You all should enjoy and relax."

Kranz nodded. "Got it." Takeo probably would need some drinks.

She’d go find Second then. Takeo didn’t _kill_ her, so... they’d have to see how this played out. “I might try and see the others after Takeo has calmed back down.” She exited her room altogether, ready to go find her new beau. “Have fun, Kranz!”

While Aris took care of Takeo, Maduke ended up playing poker with Tenth and three human diplomats. It was a fun enough activity.

It didn’t take Aris long at all to find Maduke. One of the more private game parlours. Ah. Poker. Boring. Though the stakes were often interesting. “Hello, boys. Enjoying the party?” Play the gracious pseudo-host. This was her birthday, after all.

"Always," a man assured with a grin while Maduke raised his stakes - despite the mediocre hand he had.

Aris took a seat in Second’s lap. “So, poker?”

"Poker," he confirmed, tolerating her joining him. It wasn't like he had any reputation to lose. And despite his mediocre hand, he was convincing enough for others to give up - a victory without winning cards. "What do you say, do we play another round?"

Tenth nodded with a sigh. Another win for Second. “Is Doctor Aris going to be joining us as well?”

"I'm good. Actually..." She poked her index finger at Maduke's chest gently. "I wanted to talk." He nodded. "Then have fun, gentlemen. I might rejoin later."

“I’m sure we’ll be fine without you cleaning us out until then,” one of the diplomats responded.

Maduke simply stood and led Aris out of the room - without comment, but with a smug smirk.

“So beat them _badly_ huh?” Aris giggled.

"You don't need good cards as long as you can make the other players think yours are better than theirs."

“If I recall correctly, the point of poker is to get a good hand and make everyone think yours is _worse_ than theirs though.” Rather than the other way around.

"That's what you do when you want them to raise their stakes."

"And that's the meaning of true despair. Tricking them into keeping at it until it's too late to turn back." She giggled. "Not merely intimidating them into giving up."

Maduke chuckled. Oh wasn't this delicious? "Maybe next round my hand will be good enough for that."

"Hopefully!" She grabbed onto his arm, wrapping her own around it.

"So. How did your heart-to-heart talk with Takeo go?"

"We should go somewhere private first. Kranz is babysitting him, but I don't want to risk him overhearing." Maduke nodded and simply took her back to her room."So. I think it went... okay-ish. Results are mixed, so fine-tuning will depend on his reaction here. For now, he's taking some time to think things out."

"I'll have to watch your back, won't I?" He sighed.

"A bit, yes. Kranz's job is to watch him right now and make sure he doesn't do anything drastic. Hmm. I suppose next round I'll make sure to order him to drag Takeo off and absorb him if he gets violent."

"This is a party with loads of alcohol and drugs involved." So this Takeo might use some babysitting. Provided that Krantz did his job consistently.

Aris giggled. "Yup. That's why I invited them! My poor babies work so hard, they should relax _once_ in a while."

"What do you have them do, anyway?" What did a scientist need enhanced soldiers for, if not for directly guarding her and her research?

"Various missions worldwide. Whatever an elite squad is used for. They're second only to Twelfth's Cerberus, after all."

"Elite? So you mean Cerberus and DA-5 are actually the Union's best teams?"

"Yup!" She giggled. "I had a hand in both! Though Ninth contributed the most to Cerberus."

".... Then I actually would not mind facing off against them." It would be good to see for himself just how strong humans had gotten so far.

“Well, I don’t mind, but they are rather useful and I like you. I don’t want either to come to harm.”

"It's not like time won't reset anyway, no matter the outcome."

She hummed. “Fair enough.”

"I rarely fight. Especially not seriously." Except for that one poor challenger a hundred years ago and the yearly spar with Zaiga.

“Well then. Wouldn’t want to ruin your fun. Another loop though, I think. I want Ta-chan at his best!”

Maduke hummed. "There is also someone we could consult. Though he should be somewhere in Tanzania at the moment, which would make _quite_ a flight." Adventurous, to say the least.

“Tanzania?” Wow! Far! “Think we’d make it that far? I don’t know where you live, but I’ve only managed to get to the summit.”

"With stops in between to fuel, probably. I do have a private plane." Which he did not use for obvious reasons. "If we are _meant_ to see him, we will probably make it."

“Oh! Good point! We should go for it then!”

"And if we died now? I could get my plane."

“Ah? Um.” Hmm. “If we’re going to die anyway, I want some fun first.”

"What kind of fun?" He drew closer.

“I think you already know.” She tugged his collar to bring him close enough for a kiss.

He leaned towards her - but did not close the distance between their faces. "I do fancy some fresh air, though."

“Fresh air? You want to try outside?” Well. If they were going to die soon anyway...

"This is a blessing. Anything we can imagine... We can try it at no consequence."

“I don’t think I’m down for public-public.” Even knowing there were no consequences didn’t quite destroy her modesty and any mental blocks on some actions. “But a nice corner of the garden where we still might get caught?”

"What kind of a degenerate do you take me for? I say: the roof."

“Oh? Yes. Let’s do it!” She giggled.

He simply swept her up to carry her out on the little balcony attached to her room - and from there, one powerful leap up to the flat top section of the highest part of the house.

She held him tighter, laughing the whole time. Her werewolf prince. This was _great_.

Oh they had fun on the roof - except before they could get what they were really after, lightning struck once more. Who could tell when their incinerated corpses would be found up on the highest roof? That is... If this timeline even existed past their deaths.


	13. Chapter 13

"Fuck." Maduke groaned. He did not even get off! Ugh. "Fuck you too," he mumbled and called for Lunark to meet him on the airfield. They'd fly to the party. Lunark met him in the airfield and had things prepared in record time. She didn’t know what this was about, but wasn’t going to question him in that mood.

He stopped in front of the plane. "Have the engines checked again."

“Of course.” They found an issue that was quickly fixed.

Once they were in the air.. "I will need a flight plan to get to the northern east coast of Tanzania, afterwards."

"Yes, Lord." Going to see Ser Lagus? Strange, but... well. They were friends. "Is there anything you'd like prepared for the flight?"

"I will take a human with me." Food, drink - such things.

"Okay. I will prepare accordingly." A human? Lunark's phone buzzed.

"Check your phone." It was probably Aris again.

Lunark's eyebrows rose as she read it. "I'm not saying that out loud." She just handed him the phone for him to read. A subtle, yet still clear reference to their fun on the roof and how she regretted it being interrupted, as well as an ask to his condition. If he were okay. Maduke actually seemed mildly cheered up by that and simply used Lunark's phone to reply. And he kept it because Lunark did not need the phone right now and he had time to kill. Aris would entertain him well enough.

That was... odd. The Lord actually seemed rather _happy_ right now. Which was highly unusual, even for his plans to go and see Ser Lagus. "The... err... human, you're picking up?"

"Yes. We're going to her birthday party right now." And from there, he would move on and pay Lagus a visit.

"... Doctor Aris, I think?" That was the message Twelfth had sent them about, right?

"Yes. It's a long story." He nodded. "Unfortunately, we got interrupted rather rudely the last time we met."

"So it seems," Lunark mumbled. Maybe he'd stop bothering her since it seemed he had this human woman? Hah... not likely, given he still hadn't stopped sleeping with Mirai. She was still mad about that. The moment they break up, Mirai goes directly for the Lord? How... eurgh.

After a few minutes, he decided to pass the phone back. That was enough teasing - it would be fun to just leave Aris on read and have her wonder just why he was not answering anymore.

“So. New girlfriend?” Lunark asked idly, shooting a few texts of her own to Urokai.

"Girlfriend?" Maduke repeated. "I'd call her... a companion in our current shared predicament."

“Okaaay.” So a tool, just like everyone else. Typical and predictable of him. This was exactly why she didn’t want to marry him. She got enough of that treatment from him at work. She didn’t want it at home too.

"Lagus might know more." Since Zarga clearly was not willing to re-connect with Lukedonia to access the Siriana libraries.

“I still don’t know what about.”

Maduke just pinched the bridge of his nose. "And I am getting bored of explaining. Doctor Aris and I keep dying at the same time and continuously return to the same point in time, which is today."

“... You realise how unbelievable that sounds, don’t you?”

"I know of a conspiracy involving illegal test subjects of our people, I know the identity of the First Elder and I know a Union summit will be called in about two hours. Among other, smaller interesting things I found out."

“What?” That was...

"Yes. That also means I know your little secret." Maybe he was lucky and would find something by coincidence.

Secret? “Lord, I’ve never hidden the fact that I have no intention of getting any enhancements from anyone. Or did you mean something else?”

"No." He simply turned to look out of the window. Let her stew over what he might mean.

“... You found out that I’m not attracted to werewolf men?” She guessed again. “Or maybe that I’m waiting for my kerisnay hanii to settle down?” Things which disqualified her Lord as a possible partner on two fronts.

"And how wasteful that is."

She flushed, looking to the side. “My feelings are my own, Lord. Not even you can take them from me.”

"Our feelings, or lack thereof, don't absolve us from our duties towards our people."

“I don’t need to be your queen to serve our people!” Hadn’t she been doing just fine so far? “And I don’t want to come home to somewhere I’m supposed to find rest and just be someone’s useful tool instead.” She’d normally never say it. But if he already knew anyway, at least he should know why.

"Besides this quite personal rejection, you don't have any intentions of passing on your blood either."

She frowned. “You mean I don’t intend to have any pureblood werewolves. Not that I intend to not have children at all.”

"Mixed bloods never live up to the true potential of our kind."

“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we don’t have the numbers to worry about that anymore. We’ve dropped past minimum viable population point already.” Sure, it might be for selfish reasons, but was she really the only one here looking towards their overall survival and not their strength?

"But of course, contributing to our numbers and settling for anyone but their cosmic soulmate is something _others_ should be doing."

“I’m saying that I don’t need to settle to have a kid and I don’t need to sleep with a werewolf for that either. I’ll go and find a random human to knock me up in a few years if you’re _that_ concerned.” She was clearly annoyed by his implications that she wasn’t doing her best by her people.

He wrinkled his nose in visible disgust. "And what a shining example you're setting."

“Go marry Mirai if you want a werewolf that badly.” She’d take him, if no one else would.

"I will. And I'll make sure that in any timeline, you'll be regretting it."

She clicked her tongue, another secret suddenly coming to mind. She shook her head at the thought. There was no way he’d know that one.

"You know, a consistent theme in these time loops is you never failing to disappoint me one way or another. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth entrusting you with _anything_ at this point."

She looked back to him, expression guarded. What was _that_ supposed to mean?

"You betrayed me." He lit a cigar. "Then left me to die once. Then did it again. You failed a mission whose importance was literally of life and death even if it was simply keeping a simple human alive in their home. I wish I could know whether you did it on purpose."

She frowned. "I would not deliberately leave a human to die if I was ordered to help them. I'm not _that_ cruel. You know that."

"Even if letting them die would mean getting rid of me as well?" He raised a brow. "Easy, quick, and no one would ever know."

"... Lord, you are the Lord. Whether you think I'm plotting a coup or otherwise, I've never had any intention of killing you. That is the truth." And, it seemed, she truly believed it. "Even if I disagree with you on a lot of things."

"Maybe in another timeline, you will actually manage to do something that will make me inclined to believe you."

She raised an eyebrow, frowning. She didn't believe in the least that he was telling the whole story about any of these incidents. These all had to be just _his_ interpretation of things.

"... Text Doctor Aris. Tell her I want Cerberus too." He had to blow off some steam.

"Can do." She texted Aris. "She... says she wants to watch?"

" No." He snorted. "I value my privacy."

"Didn't you two fuck somewhere public and get struck by lightning?" That was what the first text indicated.

" _On the roof._ " So not that public. "Maybe she can change my mind when I get there."

"... Okay." She texted that as well.

They landed at an airfield outside of town and a car awaited them already - Aris had not wasted any time. Maduke approached her. Ah, she even had changed into something else. "That impatient to see me?"

"Always!" She giggled, approaching for a hug to whisper in his ear. "I kinda wanna see what you can do."

"Of course you would," he whispered back, placing his hand against her waist.

"What can I say. I've only seen these muscles in action one way so far." Her hand slid against his bicep.

"I'd rather.... keep pleasure and business separate. And you... you are a scientist, after all." So of course this was science to her. An experiment.

"I am," she conceded. "Watching men flex is my _favourite_ part of this." And her babies were involved!

"One of my closest friends is a scientist, and even him I did not indulge."

Her cheeks blew out into a pout. "Even if I reward you later?"

"You have my attention." Wasn't she the cutest?

She giggled. "I could..." She whispered some absolutely _filthy_ things into his ear, before further explaining. "And if I'm _there_..." She told him a further specific of the DA-5 plan. That she was to absorb Kranz after he was pushed to the limit and had absorbed the others. "Which, when you include the time loop, might be an interesting thing to check."

Now Aris really knew how to talk to a man. "You're a shrewd negotiator." He slapped her rear. "Alright. We'll have it your way."

"I can't wait to see you in action." She sounded _genuinely excited_ about it.

"Lunark." He placed his arm around Aris. "Help with travel plans for Tanzania, then go and enjoy the party if you want."

"Of course, Lord." That was... so weird. "Sixth here?"

"Yes. He'll probably get drunk." He waved his hand to dismiss her and got in the car with Aris.

Aris chuckled as they got into the car. “A bit on the way? Or do you want to be freshly aggressive to take them down?”

"Oh I have plenty of aggression. And I'm saving it for the fight."

Oh, she couldn’t _wait_ to see it. The glint in her eye made that very clear. Whether it was malicious, lustful... perhaps a combination of the two... well, they’d just have to find out.

* * *

They drove outside the city where the two teams waited for them. Maduke actually felt himself _itching_ for a fight. It was still werewolf nature, though his bloodlust kept him from really following the natural need for physical challenge.

“I’ll watch from cover until Takeo is dealt with. This way he won’t get distracted.”

Maduke nodded and took off his coat and shirt for her to keep safe while he went out into the open field where his enemies would await him. One against ten.

A man with long purple hair carefully tied up lowered his weapon in the distance, speaking into his communicator. "One man?"

"Just one," Krantz confirmed into his communication device. "Keep watch for others. This might be an ambush." What on earth could require both of the world's most powerful teams?!

"I'm not seeing anyone else on the field, Kranz," Tao responded. "None of my cameras are picking up anything. Why would they have us just going after one?"

The man stopped where he was and Rodin frowned. "I don't trust this." Why was he stopping?

"Doesn't matter! We'll slaughter him. Come on!" Taze jumped out, swinging her scythe at the man. She was the leader, they should follow.

He stopped the blow with his hand, fingers closing around the metal despite the blood. She wasn't going anywhere now - and he unleashed the charge of aura he'd been preparing, directed at the standing group of people. Now he could actually deal with the spiky woman.

Takeo aimed again and took his shot. If everyone else was incapacitated, then he needed to run support. "Take your D!" Came the order from Kranz.

Takeo didn't miss - and though the shot tore through his arm clean, that was no problem. His hand was pretty much healed already. With his other hand, he seized the grip of the scythe and used his strength to leverage the woman easily into the air - and with a kick in the stomach area, she released her weapon. "I'll take this." Maduke could feel that it was meant to channel aura energy. An attempt at imitating noble soul weapons?

Taze coughed as ‘death scythe’ was taken from her, Ked rapidly coming forward to try and punch. "Fall back!" Kranz ordered. They'd need space for Hammer to use his explosives.

If they were falling back - then he should probably do the same, and so he did, bringing a couple of feet between himself and them through a jump backwards. The scythe was a fun toy, but - he simply chucked it, away from their group. Actually. He should find Takeo and take him out first. And the easiest way was probably... While the dismantled group was preparing their next attack, Maduke focused his aura at the woods in the general direction the shot had come from. Force the sniper out of hiding. Even if he set fire to everything that wasn't just blasted away.

Takeo ran at top speed to dodge the blasts, taking out his pistols to shoot while staying out of explosives range. Soon, Hammer joined in firing on the strange man, using the highest calibre gun-fired explosives they had.

That was harder to block and dodge - he couldn't just rely on his aura for this. No. Instead... As the smoke shielded him for a precious few moments, he gathered his strength - and accompanied by flashing blue and white lights, he transformed, his power almost electrifying the air as he shot forward through the smoke towards his enemies, claws ready to lacerate.

Takeo jumped back, eyes widening. "To me, Takeo!" Kranz ordered. That thing... he knew the plan here.

Good. That would get him an opportunity to - before he could give chase, Yuizi and Shark both intercepted. Though Shark slashed his side, Maduke's claws ripped through Yuizi's defenses. He didn't just scratch her. He _gutted_ her and Shark would be next.

"You bastard!" Shark screamed, slashing wildly at him while Kranz's hand went into Takeo, starting the absorption. "Shark! Get back! You can't handle him!"

Maduke indulged for a moment - those cuts were healing as they were made. "Aris mentioned you liked knives," he sneered. They were good, but still too slow. "Are onions all you can cut with those?"

He growled, trying to sink his knives in even deeper. " _SHARK!_ THAT WAS AN ORDER!" Kranz bellowed, now absorbing Hammer. He'd need to find Tao after this.

Aris had warned him that this would happen - and was mildly annoyed. That would bring it down to - Lutai actually landed a hit, his chainsaw cutting through flesh and bone and dismembering him before he could launch an actual blow at Shark. How annoying. For a few minutes, he'd have to fight with just one arm.

Shark laughed at that one, Rodin coming in to thrust his trident at the man. "For Yuizi!" Kranz came up behind Shark, thrusting an arm into him as well, clearly stronger and more bulky than before. Electricity lanced through the field as Tao approached, eyes glowing white from the D.

With a blast, Maduke released whatever aura he had available now to knock back the attackers that surrounded him. First, the man with the chainsaw - he went right for the head, grabbing the man's long hair and using him to swing at the man with the trident, breaking Lutai's neck in the process. Maduke's arm was already starting to grow back.

Taze ran at him again, having grabbed her scythe back. "You took down the weaklings, fucker, but don't think I'll go down that fast!" Another swing of her scythe as Kranz reached for Tao.

He didn't comment and simply jumped up, right over the swinging scythe, and used the momentum for a flying kick. Arrogant woman. He'd enjoy stomping her skull in while Kranz was busy getting more power.

Rodin threw his trident at him from the ground, slowly getting back up after being beaten down with a comrade. Kranz seemed like he'd be done soon.

Though it was narrow, Maduke avoided the weapon and charges forward. The white haired man would be next and his claws made short work of him before Maduke turned to Ked. The last survivor, besides Kranz.

Kranz took the opportunity to charge him while he was distracted, an electricity-filled blow to the back his target while Ked attacked from the front.

Both blows landed, sending him stumbling. Bastards. And yet... Maduke laughed. The pain in his smashed shoulder and singed back felt good. Invigorating. "You're not bad. For humans."

A giggle came from the distance as she approached, watching on. Good. The two left were _so focused_ they wouldn't notice her. This was a good view. Terrifying, yes, considering these were _the best they had_ , but... Still. This was the man she was into. She couldn't deny what it did to her to see him covered in blood.

Ked succumbed to an aura-charged slash that did not only singe him but also the ground nearby - and now it was down to only Maduke and Kranz. "Is this what your comrades died for?" Maduke called out. Now that he only had one enemy to worry about, he could play his games in peace.

His teeth grit, grabbing one of Shark's knives and electrifying it as he charged to stab at his heart, eyes, any weak spot, really. Enough amps to anywhere should kill the monster.

Now _that_ was delightfully dangerous. Even if probably lethal, that would definitely hurt. Enough to put him into a more defensive pattern while he regenerated and prepared for another attack - getting a couple of feet between them, use a shockwave of aura to stun - and then go right for the arm. Bone and flesh ripped like paper when he swung him around by the arm and quickly, Maduke merely held a dismembered arm while the rest of Kranz landed a couple of feet away. That should be quite incapacitating.

Aris laughed as she approached. Well, that was end-game for someone like Kranz. "My poor baby. Does it hurt?" She knelt next to Kranz, cradling his head in her lap.

He heaved, consumed by the acute pain of a limb just torn off like that. "We... We're the strongest..." And they hadn't even really hurt that demon. They had been _decimated._

"I know." She pet his hair. "I know. You were all made to be." And yet they weren't anywhere _near_ Second's level. She pressed her hand into the skin of his back. "Don't worry, you won't have to hurt for much longer."

Just as the rest of his squad had always known that their ultimate goal was to be a sacrifice, he knew that he, too, would be one. But... " _Why_?"

"Because none of your deaths will be permanent," she answered honestly. "It's a time loop, and I'm completing the experiment now as an additional one to the effects of the loop."

"..." His brows knit in confusion. This... Did it only not make sense because he was dying? And the monster actually stopped now - waiting patiently? "What demon is this?"

Aris looked up to Second, a sly smile on her face. "Do I tell him?" Since it wasn't like Kranz would remember this next time.

Maduke actually chuckled at that. "Go ahead."

"You faced off against a member of Species C. A werewolf."

"... We stood no chance," he whispered.

She shook her head. "If it is any comfort to you, this too, is valuable data."

She probably could save him. But he knew she wouldn't. His life force would become hers. That was all that mattered. They all were expendable.

"Don't worry. I'll tell you how the experiment went next loop. More or less. Obviously there's some classified information I'll be keeping from you." She leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Rest now, Kranz." She'd be done absorbing him soon.


	14. Chapter 14

Aris rose, face going from comforting to lustful in record time. “You just _tore through them_ didn’t you?” She swivelled back and forth happily, very obviously not phased at all by the massive losses she’d just seen.

"Did you expect anything else?" That actually made him smirk.

“I had about fifty-fifty chance expectations at first.” Hmm. “We should probably die before we next see Twelfth. I don’t want to have to explain to him that I sent his elite squad and mine to their deaths.” She giggled. That would get her in _big_ trouble.

"I did bring the plane this time." He stepped closer. If Aris wanted to get a feel of him in his transformed state, now was her chance.

Aris came over too, hands eagerly roaming his form, cataloguing every change from his normal form. “I think this transformation is what most scientists are trying to replicate.” It was interesting enough, but she held her convictions. He was overwhelmingly strong, but with enough strategy... Cerberus and DA-5 hadn’t worked well together. Kranz had opted to just absorb the others at the first sign of trouble rather than give any genuine effort at teamwork. And Cerberus didn’t work together nearly as well as they should either. All things that would need to be rectified later.

"It was a bit overkill," he commented. Really, he probably would have managed even without, though that would have required much more brute force on his part.

“Possibly.” She slotted her fingers into his claws, checking out them as well. “Sharp!” She giggled.

"That's generally the point of claws, yes."

She laughed at the pun, deliberate or otherwise. “So, the human stories of the full moon?”

"... Facilitate access to these powers. But once you are powereful enough, you can do it anytime."

“So how would my babies have fared against a weaker werewolf then?”

"That depends, I'd say. A weaker werewolf would have cared less about form and would finish it faster."

She hummed, noting that. “How far down does the fur go?”

"Wouldn't you like to know." He chuckled. If she really wanted a look... She was free to go for it.

“I would! I did promise you a reward, after all.”

Well then... He simply focused on regaining his normal hands, which was a rather unusual direction of partial transformation because usually the first thing a werewolf wanted was their claws - but for this, they would be more of a hindrance.Aris giggled as they headed back to the airfield. That was enjoyable and a good study! “So, to Tanzania then?” She held onto his arm happily.

Ah this woman was truly a little devil. "Yes." Lunark was still there, ironing out details with the pilot. Maduke had not bothered with the shirt, simply wearing his coat open, which was unusual enough for him. Quite dishevelled, too. "How are the plans coming along?", he questioned as he approached the two.

“They are complete. I’ve already stocked up for Doctor Aris as well.” The Lord looked... so unusual like this. It was unreal.

"Good." He brushed his hair back since right now, it was just all over the place as opposed to right where it belonged. "Then you can go and enjoy the party."

“I will.” She nodded. After seeing this she needed a drink, ineffective as it would be.

"He just _decimated_ both DA-5 and Cerberus!", Aris chirped happily. And it was absolutely _delightful._ "Can you believe it?"

“Yes?” That was rather obvious, wasn’t it? Even if she doubted he was as strong as a Lord should be, he was still a warrior. Wait. Shit. No. She shouldn’t have said that. “I’m gonna go get a drink.”

"Too bad there aren't more of his kind to study," she sighed. Clearly, she thought that Maduke must be the last of his kind - and with people like her, it was probably safer for their people if this belief remained as such.

“Yeah. Really too bad.”

Maduke cleared his throat. "It's a sensitive topic and I'd prefer it if you did not bring it up," he stated. If she thought he was the last werewolf... good. There was a reason he wanted the world to think they had gone extinct.

“Of course.” Aris nodded. She’d be more careful in the future.

"Enjoy the party, Fifth." Maduke nodded and simply led Aris up the stairs into the plane. The pilot, also a werewolf, blinked at Lunark. "... What's going on?"

“Play along and don’t question it. It’s for the best,” Lunark responded. “It always is with him.”

The pilot just nodded. "Uh. Alright then. Have fun." With that, he got into the plane to get ready to take the Lord to his destination while Maduke made himself comfortable on his usual seat.

"Fancy." Aris giggled, curling up next to Maduke. This was sooo romantic! Like something out of a smut novel! It was wonderful!

"The back actively has a bed." Small and meant for sleeping, but still.

"Oh?" Then... "We could have more fun." She normally wasn't this randy, but... this was _her werewolf_ so of course she could never have enough. Especially after having seen him tear through her babies like paper!

Maduke chuckled. "We're not even in the air yet." He'd need a bit of a break first.

"True enough." Ah... "I could use some water though. Fifth said it was stocked. Where would that have gotten put?"

"... Let's look." Usually he had someone who'd take care of him in all aspects. But now, he had to rummage himself.

Between the two of them, it didn’t take long to find some. “Here you go.” She passed him a bottle of water as well. Hydration was important!

Alright then. Maduke returned to his seat and began to drink. Actually, now that he realized... he was kind of thirsty, even if warriors experienced their bodily needs differently. "I kind of regret not having gone for full destruction," he mused. "But it would have been over too fast, wouldn't it?"

"It would have. This was much more entertaining," she purred.

"It did not look like the site of a nuclear warhead going off so I'd say I held back decently."

He was... _that_ strong? Oh, they would never make it that far. Not on copying those abilities, anyway. She should have focused down on Hammer's skills. "Is this normal for people like you, or..." Was he _exceptional_?

"Dedication and power of will. Of course, there is innate talent involved too... but being a prodigy in any field will only get you so far before you have to put in the work."

"Of course! It helps when you enjoy the work." Speaking from experience.

"It's not a question of enjoying it. It's a question of pride and tradition."

"So you _didn't_ enjoy that?" It looked otherwise.

"I didn't enjoy getting to the point." Also, usually spars did not include outright _slaughtering_ the opponent.

"Fair enough." She giggled. "It did get you some _nice_ muscles though."

He leaned back, still shirtless underneath the coat. He'd probably should check if any replacement clothes were in the back part of the plane - if not, he might have to just walk around like that, then. "I guess anyone enjoys a bout of violence from time to time." He snickered. "AH. They really thought they stood a chance."

"I think, perhaps, had they taken the time to properly strategise and work together, they might have had a better one. Not enough to actually bring them victory, but enough to not make it so one-sided." She sighed. "Taze especially seemed like she didn't care for working with her team at all. They were children flailing at a monster, not the elite team they _should_ be." And that _clearly_ disappointed her.

Krantz had done half the work for him. Instead of using their numbers, he'd absorbed them and brought this into a territory where he was nearly invincible: a direct duel. Maduke just hummed. "I wondered how far along humans were with their research."

"If Kranz had been smart, he'd have picked up one of Takeo's guns and started electrifying the bullets, using his newly-gained speed to outrun you. But he went right for Shark's knives instead. They're _all_ going to need retraining."

And _she_ was going to need special treatment from Lagus. "How about you have a look at the back area? It's _extra_ comfortable."

"Sure." Her voice lowered an octave. Beds were always nice. Maybe she could catch a nap on the way there.

On the way, they had several stops to resupply fuel and to make security checks - but other than that, no unnecessary stops. It took them about fourteen hours to get over northeastern Tanzania. "We'll be better off jumping."

"Jumping? Where are the parachutes?" She was fine with this, but she did need something to help her slow.

"Do I look like a man who needs parachutes?"

"Terminal velocity kills all," she answered.

"I know what I'm doing." It would not be the first time he and Lunark ended their flights like this. "And I'll need some _velocity_ for what I plan."

"I don't," she answered. "I can't slow myself in mid-air without something to help."

"Then I guess you'll have to hold on tight." A smirk. Her eyes widened, immediately clutching onto him.

Well then... he wished the pilot a pleasant day, given his good mood, and pried open the airlock door - and simply jumped. From this altitude, they could even see the coast! He actually _laughed._ Wasn't this delightful? Aris screamed before giggling herself. This was at least fun! And she got to spend it all with her new interest! This was... just the best! They had to be fated, giving the circumstances. Right? Right?

As they approached the ground, he began using his aura to counter their speed, slowing down their fall enough to make sure he would not simply be crushed by the impact- and still, when he landed, between his speed and the amount of aura energy around him, the immediate vicinity was _razed_. This time, it did look like a warhead had gone off. "My knee," he groaned as his blurred vision cleared again. That _hurt._ However, this massive shockwave of power should hopefully alert Lagus of his presence. Since Maduke did not know _exactly_ where he was hiding, actually.

Her hands hurt. But still. "Are you okay? I can try taking a look at it," she offered. The birds seemed to be clearing as _something_ made their way in this direction.

"No, no, just give it a few minutes." Ugh. He stood slowly. "I needed to raise a bit of a fuss. It's rude to show up somewhere without letting them know you're coming."

"I think they know." She pointed to the treetops. "The birds are retreating in clear patterns."

"Good." Maduke gave a nod and looked around. What a destruction he had caused and how easily. Had he really wanted to, the fight against the two elite teams would have been over in not even a minute. This was... he really wasn't joking about drawing out the fight. But then, the decision to draw it out would have been an opportunity in itself, had her teams not fucked it up.


	15. Chapter 15

Soon, there was a strange, tree-like figure at the treeline. Easily missed if not for how pale he was and the clothing he wore. "Is that who you wanted?"

"Yes," Maduke confirmed. His leg had healed by now and he led Aris towards the treeline towards the person - an old man, withered, almost shrivelled - and he greeted Second with a cordial "Maduke! You really do like to make an entrance." He chuckled. And he had brought a companion?

"Lagus. Long time no see." Maduke nodded and placed a hand on Aris' back. "This is Doctor Aris."

He... had red eyes. Oh! Species B as well then. That made sense. "Hello! Oh. I think I've heard Ignes mention you." If she recalled correctly.

"Oh! Ignes!" Lagus sounded utterly _delighted._ "How is she?"

"Doing well! Probably _very_ drunk right now though. She did overindulge at the party last night."

Maduke cleared his throat. How much information has Aris been gathering? So far, he was pretty sure she was _too_ clever to be left alive once this was over. "We've come here all the way from the American west coast. How about a cup of tea first?" He suggested.

"Of course! So, _Doctor_ Aris, huh? How do you know Ignes?" Lagus asked as he turned to lead them to his labs.

"We are both in an organisation called the Union," she explained cheerfully. "She and her teacher, Ninth, contributed a lot to a project I was involved in as well."

"Ninth, huh? How is he doing? Ignes has told me about him as well. But not you. A new friend, perhaps?"

"He is doing... well, I think? And well." She twirled one of her curls. "We met about... twenty years ago?" A dainty chuckle.

"Ignes, or Ninth?" Lagus asked.

"Both, actually."

And she still hadn't figured out that _Ninth_ was the student? Interesting. "Science division then?" Which part was Aris in?

"Under Twelfth!" She chirped cheerfully. "I work on cybernetic enhancements, as opposed to trying to mimic other species like _some_ other scientists."

"Some abilities are rather useful. Take the vampire's mind reading, for example. Or mind control." He hated using that term to describe his people. "Some with higher abilities can even use telekinesis."

"I _heard_ of this!" She announced excitedly. "Quite a scary idea that you all are not even affected by sunlight, clearly."

Lagus stopped briefly, cackling at that. “Already figured that out, did you? Ah... why don’t I tell you a little secret. ‘Vampires’ and _us_... we’re two different beings.” He laughed. “What you call ‘vampires’ are nothing more than humans that have gained a measure of our power. And it destroys them. _That’s_ why they can’t go into the sun. _We_ never had such problems.”

"... Oh." Aris blinked. And then she wondered... how would Second do against such a non-vampire? Was Ignes at the maximum of her power or had she been holding back as well? Questions, questions. They followed Lagus all the way to his hideout, and Aris found it to look antiquated. "You have a lot of plants," she noted.

He nodded. “I’m quite fond of them. Have been since childhood. This isn’t as large as the gardens from my homeland, I’m afraid.” He sighed, nostalgia overtaking him for a moment. “Someday, I will return. But not until I’ve completed my goals.”

Zarga had mentioned a homeland too. "Goals?" In the background, Maduke gave a little cough. _She's shrewd._

He waved his hand. "Not something that I'm going to tell you, little lady. I'll share _other_ information if you can gain my trust, but there are some things people like to keep close to their chest, understand?"

"Ahw. Okay." It was worth a try. When they reached a tea room, she decided Second's lap was the place to be, which he only tolerated, and not all too gladly with Lagus around.

Lagus chatted happily as he prepared the tea, asking more about Aris's job and how she liked it. Soon enough, he was putting some in front of them. "So, tell me. What brings you here? You rarely visit without purpose, Maduke." Even just to catch up.

"I'll put it short," Maduke started, shifting once Aris finally moved off his lap to focus on her tea. "We both keep dying. At the same time, sometimes of different causes. And return to yesterday each time. The world forgets anything we did."

Lagus leaned forward, steepling his hands. "And how long has this been going on?"

"About ten deaths," Aris mused. "And a couple more for me," Maduke added. "We haven't gotten past Wednesday yet."

And it was Tuesday _now_. "What have you discovered so far about it?"

"I coughed up a feather after choking on one. But not the food I choked on."

"Actually!" Aris' face lit up. "An experiment is running right now!"

"An experiment?" Lagus's eyes lit up as well.

She began explaining DA-5 and the purpose they served - "And now, we'll see if I'll still that power."

He listened with rapt attention before turning to Maduke. "Can I keep her?" She was... a _very_ worthy apprentice, just from hearing that.

Maduke laughed. "What?"

"It's rare to have a mind that sharp. She seems just as talented as Ignes."

Aris preened at the praise. "Well... I do have my own work to continue." But wasn't this flattering?

"I assure you, as my apprentice, you'll have far more time to work than you would before." Lagus could absolutely offer her more than the Union could. And she wouldn't have to leave her position or work.

Maduke cleared his throat. "All of that is pointless while time is still looping. You'll have forgotten all about his conversation by the next time we die."

"Fair enough, I suppose. Though... if she's going to have that power..." Hmm. "Come see me next time you loop. Tell me that I offered you a bond and a position as my apprentice, as well as what you told me here. To make me believe you..." Hmm... "Tell me... that the Tradio gardens are well tended. You don't know what that means, and it'll lend more credence to your story."

He actually laughed at that. "Aren't you smitten?" A bond?

"Smitten? No. I'm not into romance. But a bright mind is a bright mind. There is always use for one."

This man was interesting. Aris leaned forward just a little. "I'm flattered." A coquettish giggle. Her beau's best friend seemed to like her!

"I have much I can teach you. I will not right now, however. There is no point with the loop." But a bond would give him control over her. Give her power, yes, but she would _have_ to be his apprentice. "I'm afraid I don't have any information about your looping issue. The Siriana libraries might, but I doubt Zarga is willing to return home. Not that I'm entirely sure he _could_ given..." He rotated his hand. Maduke knew about it.

"Libraries... Is that Sevenths identity, then? That asshole killed me _deliberately_ to see what would happen!"

Lagus _laughed_. "That sounds like him."

"In any case. There has to be _something._ " She leaned her head against Second's arm. "Something that links us."

"Fate works in strange ways. Is there anything else perhaps that you could tell me about the situation? Perhaps more specifics of your deaths, or what started the looping to start with?" Although, seeing her with Maduke... my my. Maduke was wrong about who was smitten with who.

He shifted slightly. "My first loop, when I stood in my bathroom, I felt like I woke up from some sort of... neverending nightmare. I don't remember anything about it."

”And I... I remember sleeping for a long time... and before I died, I was proud. One of my favourite babies had grown strong enough to kill me." Aris sighed heavily. "I think... we need to prevent those outcomes. The nightmare. Me dying."

Lagus nodded. "And since then? What caused the deaths? What were you doing in the leadup to them?"

Aris began listing them of one by one - though they all probably could agree that them being struck by lightning indoors during clear weathers while discussing her research was the most notable one.

"Hmm..." Which meant that... since she was able to discuss it fine _here_ and on other occasions. "Maduke, what were you thinking at the time about her research?"

Maduke blinked. Now what _was_ he thinking about? "Let me think for a minute." He actually was not sure anymore. No. Actually... "I thought that it's essentially what you are doing too. And wondered how _I_ could use that."

And with what the car crash lead up... oh my. Lagus began laughing. That was _entirely_ too funny. If his hypothesis was correct… Both 'time travellers' tilted their heads questioningly. Why was he laughing? "Oh Maduke, you are _not_ going to like this." He snickered more.

"... What is it?" He raised a brow and took a careful sip of tea.

"So. Given that most incidents occur with an emotional trigger, as far as I can tell, this indicates that the way you are supposed to avoid the nightmare ends... the way you are supposed to save each other, is... not something physical. Nor is it prevention of an event in general. No..." His eyes glimmered. "Whatever the solution is, it's something that will occur naturally as you get closer."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Building an emotional connection takes on any number of forms. Judging which is the right one... there isn't enough information immediately available for that."

Maduke actually snorted at that. Right. He and emotional connections. "And then the rainbows will shine, time will stop looping and we no longer keep having unfortunate accidents and we all hold hands and sing kumbaya? _Right._ "

"It is exactly that attitude that lends credence to my hypothesis, I hope you understand. Even Zaiga and I are kept at arms length. If it _is_ emotional aid you need, we aren't capable of providing it."

"And where do you think does Doctor Aris factor into this?" Why her? A _human_ woman?

Lagus shrugged. "I have no way of explaining the why's of you being stuck in a loop with a specific person. There is not enough information as of yet to even start to come close." Even if there was clear attraction on the Doctor's part. And she had a wonderfully bright brain.

"I don't know about that." And the mere thought made him uncomfortable, in fact.

"You have various legends from your people. Maybe one of them explains it?" Lagus stated, as if he and Maduke wouldn't both know exactly which one he meant.

"I'm absolutely _not_ -" He coughed, spluttering a mix of tea and blood.

"Maduke!?" Lagus rose immediately and was by his side in a moment. What the hell? There should be no reason for this, right?As Maduke died choking on his own blood, a ceiling fan came loose and crashed down on Aris.


	16. Chapter 16

Well, that wasn't pleasant. Though... Aris blushed. So, Lagus thought that it was something emotional they had to do? She left the bathroom, focused on sending a text. _Are you okay, Maduke?_

"Happy birthday!" Ignes cheered, tossing confetti at a distracted Aris.

"Oh! Hey, Ignes." She grabbed her hand. "Why don't we go get a drink?" She kinda wanted to celebrate this knowledge.

"Okay!" Yet before they could reach their destination, Yuri approached with flowers. "Happy birthday, Doctor Aris."

"Thanks, Yuri!" Ah... she wasn't even as mad at him right now either. "Hey, could you go tell Kranz and the rest of DA-5 I won't be able to see them, but to enjoy the party anyway?"

"Consider it done." He nodded. "I'll have the flowers put in a vase and notify DA-5."

Good. Maybe he could at least still be a useful tool, even if he was a filthy spy. That was almost a comforting thought. "You're free after that too."

"Thank you, Doctor." That was pleasant. Well then... Ignes giggled. "So. Drinks?"

“Drinks!” She cheered. They had some fun drinks - but Aris' text was not answered.She looked at her phone, pouting. _Lunark, did you get the message? I know it’s your phone._

At that, she actually received an answer two minutes later. _Who are you?_

_Doctor Aris. The one whose birthday you were invited to. I’m kinda stuck in a time loop and that’s how I have your name and number._

_Right. Anyway, the answer to your question is probably No. He's out at the minute._

_Out?_ Out where?

_I don't know. I just heard he left the castle in a horrible mood._

Aris huffed. _Well, Lagus did say he wouldn’t like what he thought the solution to the time loop problem is._ Maybe her beau needed to come to terms with it. Also! He lived in a castle?! Was he a prince of some sort?

_You actually met him?_

_Yes? He’s in Tanzania right now._

"Hellooo?" Ignes waved her hand in front of Aris' face. "Don't be rude!"

“Ah. I’m sorry, Ignes! I was just trying to check up on someone, but it seems they’re not home.”

"Maybe they're on their way here?" She suggested with a shrug. Now who would be important enough to just ignore her?

“I don’t think so. If they were, the person who responded would have said so.” She pouted.

"Uh, okay." Ignes frowned. " _Anyway_. Let's dance!" She was drunk and she wanted fun!

“All right! Make sure to watch your strength though.” She didn’t want another incident.

"Always!" Ignes giggled. The evening progressed - and Aris was having plenty of fun with all sorts of people. Until...

"Teira?!" Takeo was just about still keeping up, drunk beyond reason, and bewildered to see _his sister._

“Oh! Hi onii-san!” She hugged him. “You wanna dance too?”

He hugged her tightly. "Teira... are you okay?!"

She nodded. “Might have had a bit much to drink though.”

"... Your health..." She was sick! She could not... He squeezed her tightly.

“Takeo... too tight!”

Oh! Right! He released her again and backed off. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head, patting him. “You should have fun. It’s what we’re here for!”

"If I had known you'd be here..." He would not have gotten so drunk.

“It’s _fiiinee_.” She was clearly drunk too.

They danced a bit - had another drink together, until.. "Doctor Aris." Crombel approached the two. "Happy Birthday."

Fuck. “No! You go away! I don like you!” She slurred.

"Doctor... Aris?" Takeo blinked several times.

“Yeah.” She confirmed, thinking what the discussion was last time. “Iss our las name.”

"..." Takeo stared at her. "Why... you..."

“I wha?” She leaned against him. They were both drunk. “Can talk about id laader.”

"Doctor Aris? The least you could do is accept my birthday wishes," Crombel pointed out dryly.

“No! Stop havin Yuri spy on me for you! Is _meaaan!_ ” She jabbed a finger in his direction.

'"You... you're not Teira!" Takeo's jaw dropped as he almost _jolted_ away from her clumsily.

Aris fell to the floor since she’d been leaning against him. “Ow! Takeo! Am too!”

"What kind of a _sick_ game is this?!"

“Takeo. You’re drunk. I’m drunk. We... we godda sober up before we can talk.” She nodded heavily.

"You LIED to me!" He was freaking out, a result of all the stress of the missions, the alcohol, the revelation - and without even thinking, he pulled his secondary gun which he always kept on him. "You... who ARE you?!"

"Nod a lie! I'm both!"

In their drunken states, there really wasn't much to be done - not handling the alcohol, the shock and the remaining pressure of the last mission, Takeo ended up pulling the trigger.

* * *

“Fuck." Maduke almost doubled over and emptied his guts into the sink before him. He felt sick. A couple of deep breaths. Shit. That was...not exactly what he'd had in mind. And still, it didn't feel right. He was still feeling empty and that rush of violence and cruelty was gone. Maybe he needed more. Maybe his old toys were just not shiny enough anymore. Would Aris text him again? She would try, maybe. Maybe Lunark would even be a good girl and come deliver the message. He poured himself a cognac. Maybe that was the key.

A knock came on his door. "Lord?" Lunark had a weird text asking her to come and deliver a message for him.

"Come in." He stood by the window, still drinking as if it would make a difference.

She entered. "I have... a strange set of texts. From a 'Doctor Aris'."

Maduke nodded slowly. "What did she write?"

"She says... that Takeo shot her this time? And she asks if you're okay." That actually made him laugh. He did say that she almost deserved getting killed over such negligence. No comment on whether he was okay. Lunark shuffled. "Do I... take that as a yes?"

"Close the door."

She blinked, closing it. "Yes, Lord?"

"This will be the last time I am going to ask. Have you thought about my proposal?" He still stood by the window with his back turned to her.

"I... have not, Lord." She didn't move from the door. Something about how he held himself right now... she didn't want any part of it. He was absolutely on edge.

"Are you scared of me?" He could tell she had not moved.

Lunark did not answer that question. She'd been by his side long enough to know better. To know _exactly_ what he was capable of. In the Union, she'd seen it. Here, he tended to keep a veneer of respectability, but that was all it was. A false front.

Her silence was telling. "You have all reason to."

"Sorry if that disappoints you." Still, she did not move from the door.

"Oh Lunark. My last twenty or so days, you disappointed me time again and again. I'm used to it."

Her teeth clenched. Dangerous. If she's done nothing but disappoint the man, then... he was very likely to end her, no matter how useful she'd been.

"I can't believe I wasted so much time on you. But that's alright. You'll make it up one way or another."

"Lord?" Her hand moved behind her, ready to bolt. Anywhere. Far from here. Dying by his hand was _not_ part of her plan. Maybe Urokai would let her stay with him.

"Step closer. I want to tell you a story." He finally turned around to her. His stare was profoundly empty.

"A... story." She didn't trust that. "I'm more comfortable here."

"That was not a request." It was an order. _Shit_. She took just two steps, not wanting to get _too_ close to him in the mood he was in.

Maduke simply stared at her before gesturing at the open bottle on the sideboard. "Why don't you have a drink to go with it?"

That was likely _also_ not a request. "Of course." She poured herself a drink, staying standing.

He emptied his glass and set it down. "Did you know I am an absolutely fucked up, psychotic wretch?"

"... More or less, Lord," she answered honestly. It was what made rejecting him such a difficulty. Because one wrong step and it would cost her life.

"Now think carefully." He approached to pour himself another glass. "Just how am I still keeping it together when I spend most of my days thinking of murder?"

“I would not know, Lord.” Divine providence, perhaps?

He just _laughed_ at her response. "I would tell you, but I'd rather show."

Show. That did not sound pleasant. She tensed, ready to run at the first sign of him moving for her. Maduke let out a choked sound that vaguely resembled a chortled laugh. "The last person who defied me like that has been regretting it for the last eight hundred years."

That wasn’t helping in the least. She carefully watched him, waiting for any reaction to show that she should run. If this could deescalate she would try, but… this absolutely could not de-escalate, and it ended in blood. Lots of blood, broken furniture and gashing wounds. Unlike Lunark, though, Maduke was kind of _specialised_ in murder. If he wanted to have more fun with her, he'd have to plan it. But now... all he could do was laugh, and in his laughter, he felt something he had not felt in a long time. He reached for her phone, dropped to the floor at some point, and dialed, leaving bloody fingerprints on the device. Aris. Why did he want to hear her voice now, out of all times? Maybe if he heard her, her voice would replace the echoes of Lunark's last words.

“Ah! Hello!” Which was it? Which was it?

He could just laugh - or maybe sob, it was hard to tell, both from what he felt and what sounds this all lead to. "Shit. I fucked up big time."

“What happened?” Aris could be heard walking away from a crowd. “Are you okay?” The concern in her voice was clear for both of them.

A helpless laugh. "Doing better than Lunark." He assumed the only way he was ever to have her in his bed was with her being _dead._

“Oh. Your protégé. Something happen to her this loop?” Oh. She could definitely commiserate.

"I fucking killed her." And it was nowhere as satisfying as he'd thought it would be.

“Oh.” Hmm. “What did she do to make you do that? She seemed so nice every time I met her.” Still concerned. Though there was clearly no care for Lunark’s fate in particular. No. Aris only cared about _him_.

"I never could stand her." He didn't even know why he wanted to marry her anymore. Mirai and Urne were warriors too. There were many beautiful werewolf women. "I guess I always wanted to do it."

“Oh. Well. Make sense.” If you didn’t like someone, you didn’t like someone. “I’d do the same to Crombel even before I found out about the Yuri thing.”

He felt empty. If only he had slashed her throat sooner. "Aris. Lagus must be wrong."

“Wrong?” How so?

"In case you didn't notice, I am utterly insane, debauched and depraved."

“I’m not seeing how that’s a problem,” she stated bluntly. It wasn’t as if she was a shining beacon of sanity and mental health herself.

It wasn't a problem. Not to her. "I'm hollow and filling the void with other people's blood and tears."

“As long as you don’t do so to _me_ there’s no issue. I don’t like pain of any kind. But everyone else is fair game.” How was he not getting that? “Didn’t I let you rip apart what I held most dear already?”

"What you held most dear just came back."

She hummed. “Did you know I burned down my parents’ house?” Maybe if she shared he would understand.

"You did?" He felt he remembered something being mentioned.

“I did. I was _so tired_ of that asshole and that weak bitch even continuing to exist I just. Lit it aflame. Even stayed to listen to their screams! Those went pretty quickly though.”

"I'd like to do that too," he whispered. Lunark was going cold next to him. "I wish I had something left to burn."

“There’s nothing left? Not even a grave to salt?”

He felt sick. "I cut all ties long ago. These graves mean nothing anymore."

“Oh. Too bad. Wanna go scream at the sky ‘till all the bad feelings go away for a bit?”

Maduke laughed brokenly. "In which universe does that make anything better?"

“It doesn’t. But it does make _me_ feel better for a while. And that’s all that really matters, right?”

"Fuck. Okay. If I make it to the party, we go out and scream at the sky."

“Make sure to clean up first! People are gonna give you funny looks if you show up covered in blood. Not a problem for us, but...” Well. Questions took time away from better things.

Maduke simply ended the call and left the room as he was - covered in blood, with a lacerated shirt and no coat. He was an absolutely dishevelled mess.Zaiga came down the hall, called to the scene by a concerned warrior after hearing the noise. “Lord.” Oh. Oh, that was…

He stopped. Seeing Zaiga... Fuck. He really had not wanted for _anyone_ to see him like this.

“Lord. What happened?” This was _beyond_ concerning. Even for someone with the kind of skeletons in his closet Maduke did.

"I have to go scream at the sky with someone," he muttered, dead-eyed. "It's a bit of a date."

“I... see.” Well. Zaiga wasn’t going to keep him from it. “I’ll clean up here then.”

"I killed Lunark," he whispered.

Zaiga was quiet for a while before calmly repeating, “I’ll clean up.” So Maduke had gotten attached and inexplicably decided to kill her. Nothing to be done for it now except make excuses and help him mourn later.

"How do I look?"

“I would clean up as well, Lord. You _look_ like you just finished killing someone.”

"Not very romantic," he conceded. "Do we still have those drops Lagus made back then?" He had fallen into such a state before. Back then, Lagus had given him a concoction that had downright knocked him out until he was back to a semblance of sanity.

“We do. They’re kept in the cabinet behind your mirror.”

The mirror he stared at every single time he looped back. "... I should take them." Even if he really did not want to return to his room.

“... Do you need me to get them?” So he didn’t have to pass by Lunark’s body?

"No." But he did want someone to have his back when he returned to his room. A bloody mess. The site of a deadly short clash. He simply marched past the bed her corpse was on and into his bathroom. Pry away the mirror, open the cabinet... three drops, Lagus had said, though he felt like he rather needed four. Maybe five. He felt sick.

Zaiga went ahead and got started on cleaning. A werewolf fight for sure. There was a great deal of furniture that would need replacing.

While he waited for the medication to actually work, he simply got in the shower as if that could wash anything away. And ended up collapsing on the floor, water still running, passed out hard by the strong tranquilizers.

Aris waited for _hours_ before finally heading to bed. Come morning though, and seeing that he still hadn’t responded to her texts, she went up to the roof and threw herself off. If he wasn’t going to answer her, she would _make_ him. One way or another.


	17. Chapter 17

".... Shit." Maduke bent over until his forehead touched the mirror. That was... It felt like a nightmare, except he knew it was not one. That was him being himself. At his worst. A couple of deep breaths. He'd meant to go and find Aris... and he never came. He splashed his face with cold water before getting ready. He should not stay away now as well. Aris waited patiently with Ignes, drinking with her. If he didn’t show up again, she would talk to her about going to see Lagus. See if he could talk some sense into his friend.

This time, Maduke appeared with a bit of a delay - but with flowers, instead. A large bouquet of different colours as an apology. He came alone, deciding he wanted to avoid Lunark for now. "Happy Birthday, Doctor Aris," he stated innocently, approaching her with the flowers, looking extra dashing.

She gasped. And different flowers this time! So it wasn’t a birthday bouquet like last time. “Why thank you, Second.” She slid off her stool to accept the flowers, wrapping her spare arm around one of his.

One of the hired waiters took the flowers to put them in a vase. "I apologize. I... might have overdosed on tranquillizers."

_Oh_. That’s why he couldn’t come. “You’ve really got to be careful with those. Too much and you sleep _forever_. But you already know that now.” She leaned in for a hug. “Glad you could make it.”

"What happened to you?" He placed an arm around her as though they were having light, pleasant conversation.

"I was drunk and out of it myself. I don't actually remember." She waved her hand. "You know how it can get when you party too hard."

"At least one of us had fun," he commented. "What do we do now?"

"You still wanna go scream at the sky?"

"... I think I calmed down. But if you want to scream, I'll come with you."

She shook her head, squeezing just a bit tighter. "I'm just glad you're okay." Ah! She pouted. "The experiment was a failure." And they never got to address that.

"What experiment? Oh. Right. The absorption. You did not keep the powers?"

" _No_." And she looked rather put out by that. "Most, anyway. My reflexes seem to have stayed increased."

"Maybe if we repeat the process, you will end up keeping everything?"

"Maybe?" She didn't really know. "I'm not interested in seeing them disappoint me again, though."

Maduke chuckled at that. "I see. In any case... I think we will have to crack Seventh. The library might hold the answers."

"Okay then! Should we go talk to him?" She asked cheerfully.

"Yes. In the worst case, I will demand diplomatic immunity for him for one visit." He doubted that the young noble Lord would dare deny him this request.

"Oh! Good plan!" Hmm. "Think we can convince him to let us go with him? Then we can check the library out ourselves and cut down on searching time overall." Even if Seventh would be more familiar with the library, he was still going to need to look for information too.

"I would have to go regardless." Because only that would lead this unusual request credence. And having Aris... knowing the nobles... "I am not sure about you."

"If I take Lagus up on that 'bond', whatever it is, will that give me more authority here?" It was an honest question.

Huh. Actually... likely. It would make her an insider, of sorts. "We can consult Seventh on that question as well."

"Okay then!" She pulled back only to take his hand instead. "Let's go."

They found Zarga talking to a group of people and Maduke cleared his throat to catch his attention. "Seventh. A word in private." Zarga nodded, acknowledging the superior standing of the older man, and followed them both. "What is it?"

"So, we need access to your library," Aris started.

"I know you are unwilling to go back, but I can offer to accompany you and demand diplomatic immunity." Zarga blinked a couple of times. "The Siriana Libraries?"

“Yes the Siriana libraries,” Aris confirmed. “Lagus said you might have difficulties accessing them, so diplomatic immunity is a reasonable way in, right?”

"... You spoke to Lagus?" Zarga was _completely_ confused and rather overwhelmed by what he was hearing.

“Yes. Two loops ago.” Her cheeks puffed out. “I really thought you were better about following along than this.”

Before Zarga could ask more questions, Maduke cut in. "We're running low on time so I suggest we go. You're safe with me."

Aris shuffled. "Do I go this time? Or... do I have to take up Lagus's bond offer first?"

"Bond offer?" Zarga repeated incredulously.

"No. Let's try it without first," Maduke decided.

"Okay!" Aris chirped. Though that didn't answer whether she should go or not.

"Did you come by plane? We can drop before the borders." Zarga nodded to that. Alright. He'd just go along with it, then. Maduke placed a hand on Aris' back. He didn't exactly care for the secrets of the nobles enough to leave her here.

Aris leaned into his touch rather blatantly. This was great! She'd finally see the library. "Seventh had agreed to speak with Fourth about checking the library on the loop we'd met, but... this was much more efficient."

"I told you, power opens all doors." And on the way, they informed Zarga of what was happening, purposefully leaving out some details. "Under normal circumstances, I'd give Lunark a call to let her know where I am going," Maduke mused, looking out of the plane's window. The sun of Tuesday morning would rise soon.

"I can text her and tell her to go bother Sixth, if you want?"

"No. It's alright." He waved his hand in dismissal. "If this goes wrong, I'll just be back anyway. Not that I think it will, of course..."

"True!" She giggled.

"Now... we will have to jump again," he warned her. However, this time... Maduke carried her safely and both he and Zarga landed with more gentleness than he had back in Tanzania - they used their aura earlier to slow their descent, and landed on a tiny lone island relatively safely. Such destruction right before Lukedonia's borders would be rude. Before they could move on to the main island of Lukedonia, though - Maduke stepped forward, away from Zarga and Aris, and gathered his aura before sending one single flash of aura towards Lukedonia - it would be enough to gain their attention politely.

"And now we wait again?" Like with Lagus.

"Yes. I let them know I am here," Maduke confirmed. "And because we come in peace, we wait."

After about ten minutes, a whole squad of central knights came to receive them - and between a renegade clan leader, a werewolf and a human traveling together... This was for the Lord to deal with and Maduke carried Aris as they all crossed the waters, bouncing off the surface like skipping stones. Then, straight for the castle, where he set her down again and led the way - Zarga followed by Aris' side as the gates into the imposing throne room were opened to them. A woman sat on a throne, young, stern-faced. "I greet you, Lord of the Nobles," Maduke announced, voice crisp and clear despite the slight echo in these high walls.

"I greet you, Lord Maduke of the werewolves. You bring a traitor and a human into my lands. What reason do you have for this?" She sounded much like the teen-to-early-twenties young woman she appeared to be, even if her voice was as stern as her face.

"They are my companions on this visit, and I ask for diplomatic immunity in this matter. I turned to Zarga Siriana for help with an issue, and we need to consult the Siriana libraries."

"What issue?" She wouldn't have them just traipsing through ancient noble wisdom without reason.

"One of _personal_ nature for me, Lord Raskreia."

"With all due respect, that is not enough reason for me to grant your request," she responded.

"With all due respect?" Maduke repeated. "Surely no respect for the private nature of the issues. But it has to do with the lacking linearity of time, recently."

"Lacking linearity of time?" Was... he really claiming he was in some sort of time loop?

"My human companion and I are experiencing some kind of time loop we'd like to leave."

She briefly considered having the lot of them executed after giving them a code word for proof. But that wasn't what a _reasonable_ ruler did. Not that Lord Maduke was reasonable. Not that how Zarga and the other traitors had left was reasonable. Not that she _even knew_ who the human was. "Do you have proof?"

"That is the nature of time loops, that they are only known to those stuck in them," Maduke pointed out coolly. "We have exhausted our other possible contacts. This is the first time we turn to you. I'd prefer if this would be the only time as well."

“... Very well.” She rose from her throne. “Gejutel. Ludis. You will accompany us in checking the library.”

Maduke gave a slow nod. "Thank you, Lord. If your people ever need something from us, in this timeline or another, I shall remember your aid."

Aris looked to Maduke. She hadn’t understood a word of what had been said! But... Maduke did not act as less. Was he maybe the same rank? A lost prince of the werewolves? Was that why the castle?

He simply offered his arm to her with a brief, intransparent smile. The Lord as well as the two clan leaders escorted them to the abandoned Siriana lands - overgrown gardens barely maintained by the handful of remaining clan members. Zarga took a brief breath before entering the main building and straight on to a sealed door, gleaming softly. Back then, he had sealed it before leaving. Now... He stepped closer and placed his hand against the door that began glowing with runes that dissolved with his incantation and summoned power. The heavy doors swung open to reveal the ancient, dusty library no one had entered in four centuries.

“Please refrain from closing it when you leave again.” Raskreia entered the room, cleaning the air with her power as she did. The werewolf and human wouldn’t fare in it as well. “Your remaining clan complained about a lack of reading material.”

Zarga nodded. If this time loop was true... he wondered if he and the rest would persist past Maduke's and Aris' deaths. They entered the library, countless magic candles and chandeliers coming alight in the presence of their master, the Siriana Clan leader. Maduke looked around. "What do you think?", he questioned, glancing at Aris.

“It’s massive!” She giggled. And the books looked ancient! She’d have to be _very_ careful.

"They are written in the language of these people," Maduke explained. "So I am not sure if you can help us out here."

“Oh.” She frowned. “I can read... Latin, maybe? If there’s any in that.” Or if it was close enough she could try transliterating it for later.

"Latin? Maybe some imported scrolls," Zarga suggested. "We are looking for books containing the topic of time," he announced for Ser Gejutel and Ser Ludis as well, if they intended to help. "We are looking in the categories of metaphysics, mysticism and curses."

Gejutel nodded. “Is the layout the same as in my youth?”

"Yes. Lord." Zarga turned to Raskreia. "The most critical of books were sealed by your father, and can only be accessed by the Lord. If you could have a look if any of them mention time loops - especially time loops upon death."

Raskreia nodded, walking with Gejutel. “Lead me to them.” Aris bit her lip. “Can I be allowed to copy whatever passages are relevant? Even if I can’t understand it, I’ll be able to replicate it for someone who does later.”

"Yes. That would be vital. Let us search for paper and ink," Maduke suggested. In that, they would probably be more helpful.

She reached for his hand to squeeze it, not caring who saw. They wouldn’t know by the next loop anyway. “I’m sure there will be some here somewhere. Whether it’s still good or not...” That was another question.

Luckily, some of the remaining clan members could help them out - and soon, Aris and Maduke set up by a large table. While Zarga, Ludis and Gejutel brought books, he translated the relevant passages for Aris to write down. If it was something she understood, she would likely remember it better. However, so far, there were no hints of anything that _really_ explained their predicament. Maybe the Lord would have better luck.

Raskreia brought some books from the sealed area shortly after while Aris hummed, transcribing directly from the books and adding the translations in English below. Huh. So that was the word for ‘time’. Interesting. “Here’s everything I found regarding time and metaphysics related to it.” Raskreia set a book on the table.

Maduke nodded. "So far, we have not found anything pertinent," he admitted. "And especially not one work from someone who actually did it themselves."

“Have you considered that, in an infinite array of universes, it’s entirely possible that you found one where whomever would have written the book died?” She idly asked.

"That is a very likely case," he agreed. "... Provided that the universe persists after we die."

“That is another possibility. If it is totally linear, then your looping is an issue.”

"Apparently, I did kill her once to find out what happens," Zarga commented, adding another book to the stack. "I wonder if I found my answer in that universe."

“I’d say so. Either you stopped existing or you didn’t,” Raskreia answered. Casually killing a human. Zarga truly was a disgusting excuse for a noble, wasn’t he?

"In any case..." Maduke moved on to the books of the forbidden section. However, that was not exactly helpful either. "I did consult Lagus Tradio," Maduke conceded. "He believes our people's legends might offer answers your books cannot."

“Such as?” Raskreia asked.

"I _doubt_ the Moonmother would be testing me with this." And who or what else could have a similar grasp on reality itself?

“Then, perhaps, the universe is trying to right something that happened wrongly. And only the two of you have the ability to right it.”

Maduke glanced away, back to the books in front of them. They had no answers. No one had answers for them and it made him feel sick. "So this was a complete waste of time," he muttered.

“I wouldn’t say that. We have some interesting data written down. And we know the answer isn’t here,” Aris chirped. “If anyone has their own theories, I’ll listen.”

"I do have a theory," Zarga stated. "I think that you'll need to remember the nightmare before the loop started." He spoke in English now, so Aris would understand him too. "What did you do? How did you die?"

Aris hummed. "Me, or Maduke? I was killed by one of my babies after a long haze. That's the clearest bit." Actually... "I think... perhaps I was given some sort of mind-altering drugs. That might be the best explanation of that." So figure out who did that to solve her problem.

"I already told you I don't remember anything." Maduke sounded mildly frustrated. At this point, he wasn't sure he wanted to remember.

"You do not?" Raskreia asked in English. "That might be your best bet, however. Do you want one of my people to try and enhance the memories?"

"No. Aris believes we died before this, and the loop begins at a point where these deaths could have been prevented."

"And this event is this 'nightmare' mentioned?"

"Yes. It felt like one blurry, endless nightmare." So he'd probably had gone insane.

"Do you recall the moment when it started?" Within the nightmare. She didn't even know why she was helping him. Whatever got him to leave, she supposed.

"Nothing." Which didn't make sense - or was simply not honest.

Raskreia was distinctly unimpressed with that. "If you don't actually want help, why do you seek it?"

"What are you insinuating?" He questioned with narrowing eyes while Aris was happily distracted by the snacks brought in by one of the housekeepers of the remaining clan members. Hospitality was hospitality.

"Nothing." Her eyes closed as a strange figure stared at Maduke from one of the library's aisles. "..." He frowned once he... Who let a child in here? Except... Slowly, he stood up.

Once again, no matter how carefully she was eating, she somehow choked. Like her body was _made_ to mishandle the food she was consuming.Maduke did not even notice Aris starting to choke in the background as yellow piercing eyes stared back at him. A boy, maybe eleven or twelf in human standards, dressed in leather garbs, so out of place here.

"Hey! Gejutel! Get a medic!" Raskreia rushed to the human's side, sensing her distress. What to do?

The boy stared back - and Maduke crutched as his chest as a sharp pain jolted through his body. He coughed up blood. The boy was gone.It was mere seconds after that Aris lost consciousness, another few minutes before she was gone altogether.Both died in the Siriana library, leaving Raskreia to deal with the Lord of werewolves having died in her lands and her presence.


	18. Chapter 18

Bathroom again. Aris left immediately, heading for her room. She needed pen, paper, and... Ignes. As Third and First pushed past her into the bathroom, Ignes showed up with a 'happy birthday' and confetti. The party seemed marginally less busy than usual.

Weird. Aris grabbed Ignes's hand. "Come with me."

"Uh. Okay!" She was happy to tag along.

Was Yuri even here? It didn't matter. "Okay. I'm gonna write down some stuff I memorised in your uncle's library and I'm gonna need you to translate it for me."

"Uh... _what_?"

"Long story that includes time travel. Point is I went to the Siriana library but I can't read whatever language the books are written in."

"Woah," Ignes whispered and just followed her friend. Once Aris had written everything down, Ignes began translating for her.

After a bit, Aris huffed. "I'm not sure if any of this can actually help us." She sighed. "I can remember everything I've written down previously, so hopefully the repetition will help with ideas for solving this. I don't even know why Maduke would have died there with me. I just choked on a sandwich. I don't even know _why_ that happens. There is no logical reason for me to randomly choke to death on stuff!"

"Maybe you died because he died?" Ignes suggested, a bit lost with the influx of information.

"Well. I suppose. We do die at the same time. But why would he have died? He seemed fine!"

"Uhm. Is he going to show up or anything?"

"I hope so. If not... can you take me to Tanzania?" She wouldn't slack without him.

"Tanzania?" Ignes tilted her head. Lagus was there!

"Tanzania." She nodded. "We're gonna go talk to your old teacher."

"Oh you know of Lagus!" Ignes nodded. "So he took you there or something?"

"Yup! Asked if he could keep me. Which was flattering." Aris giggled.

"Oh that sounds like him." Even if she felt a twinge of jealousy. She was supposed to be the favourite! "Anyway. Let's have fun."

"Yeah!" Ah, she'd be sticking with Ignes all night then. Up until either Second got here or it was time to go to Tanzania.Maduke did appear - and he was in quite a hurry to see Aris. "People are disappearing!"

"Ah! Yeah! I noticed!" But no one _important_ so far, so she hadn't cared. Wait. "Oh. That means..." She paled.

"I asked Lunark where Juraki went and she didn't even know who that was." And from his wording alone Aris should be able to tell that Lunark _should_ know who that Juraki is. Or was.

"I... so there are people missing back home for you too?" Shit. "That has to mean that we're reaching the critical end, right?"

Maduke exhaled shakily. "Maybe we really have to learn what happened." Maybe Lagus would be able to pry his memories back.

She nodded. "What do you want to do to do that?" She reached to hug him, trying to comfort him a bit. She was having such fun with him! She didn't want it to end!

"I'll have to ask Lagus to try and restore my memory." He was the only one he trusted enough for that.

"Okay. Let's go then!" She turned to Ignes. Would she want to come? Would Maduke even want her as a tagalong?

Ignes shuffled uncomfortably. "I think I'm going to stay here. Have fun? Say hello?" She was confused, mostly.

"I will!" She reached for a quick hug from her too.

"Be careful...?" She smiled. "We'll have to hijack someone's plane." He'd come by himself this time. "I'm sure Zarga won't mind.”

“Probably not. Oh! Wait! My notes. It’ll give credence.” Even if they weren’t actually useful otherwise.

"Notes? Alright." Even though Lagus had just gone ahead and believed them.

“It’s to get it done _faster_.” She giggled, trying to reach his chin on tippy toes for a kiss.

For a few seconds he just stood there before giving in and allowing a kiss. "Go and get them."

She nodded, rushing upstairs to get them- _carefully_ \- before heading back down. “Okay now let’s go harass Zarga.”

"I wasn't idle. He's letting us borrow." Maduke snickered.

Aww. And there went her showing things blatantly copied from his library. But okay! “Let’s go then!”

"Now why do you look disappointed?"

“ _He_ was the one I was trying to... um. What’s the term they use in the arcades? ‘Speedrun’?”

"How so?" He tilted his head. "I simply told him I need a private plane to visit Lagus for a few days and that I'll owe him a favour."

“Oh.” Right. And if they died, he’d never remember the favour anyway. “Okay then.”

They got on their ways. Zarga's plane was marginally smaller,the pilot a confused noble. It was okay, they got on their way fast. And after some fun up high in the air in the obviously unused bed... “You didn't text at the beginning."

“I only have _Lunark’s_ number,” she replied. “And you had a rather recent meltdown. I thought you’d rather avoid her.”

Oh. She did so out of concern... For him? He blinked. "I appreciate it. But it's okay. I just don't feel like spending prolonged time with her."

“So a quick text is fine then.” Good. She’d note that down.

"That is, if she's not removed from existence..." This was extremely alarming.

"... Right." This was troubling. She laid her head on his chest. "What do you think will happen? Will the universe fix itself by removing us? Or will it cease to exist altogether?"

"I don't know." That was a genuine sentiment. Much as he despised the world and almost everyone in it...

"We'll stop it," she said with conviction. "Either of those things would be boring."

"So far, we haven't exactly been making progress," he pointed out.

"I disagree. We know a lot about what _won't_ work now. That's why we're going to see Lagus, right?"

He frowned and simply turned on the bed, his head tilted to the side to watch the sky pass them by. "... In the library... I saw _something._ "

“Something?”

"... or someone. A child." His brother? No. He'd never worn his hair like that. But… who else could it possibly be? "A ghost of someone who died long ago."

“Ghosts exist?” That was wild! Sure, werewolves and vampires did, but they were solid. You could get data on them with ease if you had one in front of you.

"... Not that I am aware of."

“So we’re talking a metaphorical ghost.”

"... Possibly." He only knew he was uncomfortable. And he had felt an overwhelming distress right before... "And then I died."

“And then you died,” Aris repeated. “How?”

"I don't know. I coughed up blood... started suffocating... that's all I know."

Odd. She held onto him tighter. “That doesn’t sound pleasant. You think this kid is involved in the loop somehow?”

"How can someone long dead be involved?" Especially if they died _much_ older than the vision he'd had.

Aris shrugged. “Perhaps effects of something that happened still remain now and that needs to be remedied.” Or not. She could only guess.

"I can do many things. Raising the dead is not one of them."

Aris’s cheeks blew out. “Not what I meant! If they’re dead, what happened as a result that might have been prevented had it been handled differently? Is it a thing that can be fixed? That sort of thing!”

"If _that_ was supposed to be fixed, the time loop sure as hell would have started not on _this_ Monday." He actually sounded distressed, pulling away to sit up. He felt _sick_. Lunark had mentioned him. Her dying breath....

That reaction. Aris sat as well, clinging to him. “Calm down. Stressing too much about it won’t help us.” Maduke closed his eyes, minutely calmed by her hug. This ghost that came to haunt him right after Lunark brought his name back to life... Could that really be coincidence?

“We’ll see Lagus, and we’ll ask him to help us. And then we’ll be on our way to a better understanding of what we have to do.” There were many positives here. “And through this whole thing I got to meet you!”

He chortled. "You say that like it's a good thing to know me."

“And _you_ say _that_ like you’re bad to _everyone_.” She giggled. “I like you.”

"You're not bad yourself, either." Very human, but for a human... "You remind me of someone I used to know."

“Oh? Did you like them this much too?”

"Wouldn't you like to know." He snickered. "I guess I like you better."

That got a giggle out of her. “Good. I’d hate to have to compete with someone I never met.”

"Someone who loved russian roulette too much," he added. The woman was long dead after all.

Aris snickered at that. "Gambling can be fun, but I'd rather _not_ gamble with my life if I can help it." Ah, poor person.

"Ah she loved the thrill. I guess it's why she wanted me." Though he didn't get that feeling from Aris. "I don't appreciate being _objectified_."

"Uhh..." Aris flushed. He... understood that she did that _a lot_ , right? "Right. Well, I like you for you _also_ , so I guess thinking you're hot is fine."

"You do not think of me as a mindless beast, an animalistic fiend that is little more than meat and fur, now do you?"

Aris blinked. "No?" Why would she. "Your mind is part of your charm." Denying that was...

He pet her head. "And that's why I prefer you. Just as your mind is part of your charm."

She nuzzled into his back. "You _know_ I'm going to come find you even after the time loop is done, don't you?" This was where they _started_. She wasn't going to let it end just because the looping did.

"Are you?" Bold of her to assume that this would end before the universe ended. And bold of her to assume he could let her live with all that knowledge.

"Of course. You think I'm letting a catch like you just _get away?"_

He chuckled. "What do you have in mind?" She had distracted him admirably.

She listed off _a lot_ of date items that would be easier to do once they didn't have this figurative Damocles' Sword over their heads. Even simple things like curling up with a good book. "And then we could have a bit of fun, and-" Honestly the list could go on forever. She used to _dream_ about what having a decent partner would be like when she was younger. Before she decided that men in general were trash and committed herself to science and her babies. Men like Twelfth, Fourth, and Maduke were just the exceptions that proved that rule more than anything. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't take full advantage of having one available for romance.

How much time had she spent thinking about them? About the things one could do once they were out of this loop and something about her words... touched him deep down in a way he had not been touched in a long time. "... That sounds nice." And he was not comfortable with it.

“Right?” She giggled. “And that’s why we have to succeed. Otherwise we’ll miss out on all that!”

"I guess so. It's weird. I hate this world. And still, I don't want it to just _end_."

Aris hummed. “In my experience, feeling that way is because something is stopping you from being yourself. Be it a bad job, or a bad family... societal expectations... What I did was decide I didn’t care about _any_ of those and just was myself! And now I’ve got a _great_ job doing what I love!”

He laughed. "I don't love anything."

“Well then. You’ll just have to love me to make up for that, won’t you?”

Oh that was too funny. "That's a lot of responsibility you offer to take."

Aris snickered. “Yes. But I like you. Anyway, what I mostly meant was that by finding and removing the things that are truly making you unhappy, finding what _does_ make you happy is easier.”

He could not remember ever having been happy, actually. He simply did not answer. "And what makes you happy, doll?"

“Science! Experimenting on my babies! And recently, spending time with you.” She giggled. “I could never have imagined being this happy when I was growing up.”

"Let me guess... it has something to do with you burning your house down?"

“Of course!” She laughed, genuine joy in her voice.

"What did you burn them for?" He sprawled out next to her.

Oh. He wanted to know? Well... “They abandoned me, essentially. My dear dad always made it clear that he hated that Mother had given birth to a ‘worthless girl’. And he was the hardcore religious type. Once it became clear that I was nothing like what he wanted and couldn’t even come close to trying... well. And Mother. Even if she _did_ love me, she didn’t care enough to go against his wishes. Never did. I always knew she was scared. But that doesn’t excuse her being a weak bitch.”

"You were not the child they wanted." He could imagine. Aris was, despite her bright mind, a very _particular_ girl, given she had absolutely no issues with what kind of a person he was.

“Nope.” She popped the ‘p’. “And that’s why when I was a teenager they took the first opportunity they had to get rid of me.”

"What did they do?" He placed one arm under his head - the other he offered for Aris to rest her head on.

“Well. You know. It’s human nature to seek out affection. So when I was around fifteen or so... I wound up facing an unfortunate ‘issue’. They forced me to marry the man who was responsible.” She shrugged.

Ah. He nodded slowly. Accidents happened all the time, especially for humans.

“You’d think they would have gone ‘no, you’re too young’, considering he was my dad’s age, right? These days such a man would rightfully be called a pedophile.” She laughed. “And a love-starved teenager is of course going to latch on to the first source of positive affection they come across, even if it’s ultimately detrimental. You want to know what the kicker was?”

"What?" Oh, now _that_ was young. Fifteen... A werewolf would still have a tail at that age. Depraved as he may be, there were some boundaries even _he_ was willing to respect.

“It was an ectopic pregnancy. Detecting that back then was... well. Normal humans wouldn’t have had the technology. And so the pregnancy continued until I almost died, completely rupturing that Fallopian tube. I had to have an emergency surgery just to keep me alive and was told it wasn’t likely I’d be able to get pregnant again. Not _easily_ anyway. I still have the one- not important to the topic though. My husband, upon hearing that, immediately filed for divorce and told me I had to pack my things and leave.”

What an utter failure. Still, he nodded, willing to listen to her for as long as she would talk.

“So I went back home, or tried to, anyway. My father said, and I quote, ‘Why would I want a divorced whore like you in my family? You aren’t welcome here.’ Which started my time... couch surfing, essentially. I soon figured out that some men could be manipulated into giving me money, a place to stay, any number of things just by prettying myself up and giving them a sob story that fit _their_ interpretation of morality or offering them sex.”

She must have been... sixteen? Seventeen at most? He was aware that humans were still far from grown then. "And then how did you end up going for science?"

“I read books a lot as a child to drown out my father’s shouting. The science ones appealed the most. Once I figured out I could maybe manipulate someone into helping me get my GED since I was forced to drop out... I set my sights a bit higher, trying to get into college. When you have multiple sugar daddies who don’t know about each other it’s very easy to pony up that much cash.”

Maduke laughed. "You really know how to play the game, now do you?"

Aris giggled as well. “You learn quick when you want to _really_ live!”

"When you want to come out on top, sometimes you just have to fight dirty. And with any means you got."

“Exactly so!” She hugged him tight. She’d told him and there had been no judgement! How _wonderful!_

"You did whatever you could to come out on top. I can respect that."

He was... just the best. If love actually genuinely existed, this must be what it felt like. She sighed contentedly. It was a good feeling.


	19. Chapter 19

Luckily, they made it to Tanzania - and jumped off in the northeastern part near the coast. Again, Maduke's landing doubled as an alert for Lagus, though he already set out in the same direction Lagus had led them last time.

Lagus met them halfway. "Hello." Huh. So Maduke... already knew where he was? Intriguing. "Maduke! Good to see you. And who is this?" A new person. He chuckled. They seemed rather close.

"I'm Doctor Aris. The Tradio gardens are well tended!" A wide smile. Maduke had reminded her of the codeword on the way.

Lagus blinked. "I... yes, they are. Have you been recently then?" A human who knew of the Tradio lands, and knew to mention them to him. How interesting!

"No. You told me to tell you that!" Aris giggled.

”We're stuck in a time loop," Maduke explained. "This is the second time we come to you."

"Oh!" In which case, Aris had no idea what the Tradio gardens were. "I see. Come in and tell me about it. I'll get some tea going." He couldn't help if he didn't know what was going on.

Maduke left it up to Aris to reiterate things - with particular emphasis on their last visit to him and the last loop - their visit to Lukedonia. "I brought notes, too!" She announced as the entered Lagus' lair.

"Notes?" He asked as he got to work on making tea.

"Yes." Aris held up the papers. "I have an eidetic memory. I recreated the notes from memory once the loop restarted."

Lagus set the tea down, picking up the papers and looking through them. "Lukedonian... I assume you don't speak or read this?"

"No. Uhm. Ignes translated them while I wrote them down, but I don't think they help us," she admitted.

“ _And_ you know Ignes. She didn’t teach you any? She’d be better for it than anyone else. She understands how you learn.”

"Oh. Uh. No. I only figured out she is a species B during the loops. Like Fourth, Sixth, Seventh and you."

“Ah. Don’t call us vampires, by the way. Those are humans corrupted by misuse of our power. Though I imagine the Union is already aware of what term Lukedonia has been using lately.” He disapproved of it. Taking an important, currently existing title as the name for their entire species? Damn near heretical, were it not for them being culturally non-religious.

"Anyway," Maduke cut in. "There are two things. First, people started disappearing now. This morning, the warrior who greeted me the past what feels like twenty loops did not show up. And when I wanted to know of his whereabouts, no one even knew who I was talking about.”

“Hmm... how odd.” That meant... “Does that mean this timeline is unravelling?”

"Possibly. I am pretty sure some party guests were missing too," Aris admitted and Maduke shuffled uncomfortably. "The very first time I looped, I felt as though I had woken up from a horrid, never-ending nightmare. I cannot remember it. But Aris and Zarga are convinced that this might be the key."

“You want me to help you remember.” That was what he was asking, right?

"I cannot say particularly want to," Maduke conceded. "But if the continued existence of the universe depends on it, then I'd rather it's done by someone I trust."

“Of course. When should we begin?”

"Might as well now before I have another heart attack," he grumbled.

“Of course.” Lagus approached. “Do you want me to use your blood as a medium, or just go?”

"Whatever works best." He would really just rather get it over with.

He nodded, starting to rummage through Maduke’s mind in the least invasive way he could. This... “did you bring a knife? I’m going to need to draw blood, it seems.”

"... I do." He reached for his belt. A gilded sheath encrusted with jewels. The meteorite dagger.

Aris gasped. “You brought it this time!”

"Yes." He handed the dagger to Lagus with a chuckle. "I used to joke that I'll marry whoever will find the dagger's twin for me."

Aris looked like she was _seriously considering_ doing just that. Lagus took Maduke’s hand, making a small incision and bringing the resulting drop of blood to his mouth, using the enhanced connection with Maduke’s soul to look deeper. His brow creased. “It’s there, but... I don’t have enough control to force it forward, so to speak.” The solution... if time were falling apart anyway, and this was the only way to save them all... “Let’s make a bond.”

The feeling of Lagus trying to reach through his mind was already bad enough but... "Alright." If this was what it took to actually get out of this damned time loop...

“You know I would not offer if it were not dire, friend. Or I suppose if you were the one asking for one.” Lagus pressed the dagger to Maduke’s hand once more, letting more flow. Enough for a mouthful. Ingesting it, he said the traditional words of bonding, asking for Maduke’s consent.

"I consent." Besides, he was well aware of how a bond often lent even more power to the one who received it - would it mean more power to him as well, then?

Lagus nodded, forming the bond, and getting back to searching once it fully formed. Yes. This. This would allow him to... He looked, horrified at what he saw. What had become even of _him_ in that nightmare. And like this, Maduke saw it was well.

Together, they witnessed his fall - the last time they spoke before Lagus led Gradeus and Edian to their deaths, the news of what happened - and Ignes, turning to him. What he did to her and others in his madness. And finally, how he drove his own people to the brink of extinction only stopped by two they had believed dead - Muzaka and the Noblesse. Maduke recoiled physically and grasped at the nearest piece of furniture just to stabilise himself so he would not end up emptying out his stomach right where he stood.

Lagus collapsed into a chair, holding his head in his hands as he shook it. “That... we can’t let that happen again.” He shakily reached for his cup of tea, sipping at it. And here he’d been about to implant Gradeus with some of the smaller bloodstones as a test!

Aris glanced back and forth between the two. Those were some pretty strong reactions. "So, how bad is it?"

Lagus pointing a shaking finger at her. "You... you're supposed to be able to prevent this?" If that was the case, then... "Do you want a bond? It will make you sturdier. Longer lived. Anything to stop that outcome."

"Okay!" She chirped. If it was bad enough to cause such a strong reaction...

Lagus approached with the meteorite blade, slicing her hand and taking a mouthful of blood, starting the traditional bonding words. He could not stay by Maduke's side and support him in this. The girl, though...

Oh this was really weird though - and her voice quivered a little bit when she replied 'yes'.

Soon, it was done. "This is... usually rather strange for humans. The unlocking of two additional senses. Are you quite alright?"

"... Uhm..." She wasn't sure. Everything was _loud,_ rather headache inducing. From the smell of the tea to the sound of Maduke's breathing to feeling both of them _here_...

"Just sit down and rest a bit. It's sometimes overwhelming, from what I've read." There were some cases of bondeds going outright insane from this. But they needed Aris. And she was a bright young woman besides.

Maduke simply headed outside. He needed to get some fresh air and collect himself. This was... So messed up. Of course he'd always known he was, by no means, a good person... But that was a rage, hatred and overall negativity he had not believed a single person could ever possibly contain.

Lagus watched him leave. They all needed time to rest and recover. "I wish I could do more to help you two. I'm afraid all I can give is a measure of my power, for now." After... "Later, I can take you as an apprentice, if you want. You like science, no? I have much too teach. Millennia I've spent studying the subject."

"Millennia?" She repeated with a tiny voice. Sure, he looked old as hell, but what creature could possibly live for two thousand or more years, jellyfish aside?

"Millennia," he confirmed. "It's a lot to take in, I know. Just drink some tea and relax. I'll answer all of your questions as they arise, if you like."

"Maybe you should check on Maduke." And then maybe she'd find out what they had seen, once both calmed down.

He nodded, rising. "I will. He's never been this bad in all two thousand years I've known him." Let her think on that. It would be hilarious.

Aris blinked. Of course, she'd assumed Maduke might be two or maybe even three hundred years old, but being off by a whole order of magnitude...? While she processed that, Lagus sought out Maduke who was pacing up and down in the little garden Lagus kept for his own leisure.

“Maduke.” Lagus stopped nearby, watching. Hoping his presence was at least calming.

He stopped, one hand against the trunk of a tree. "How did that shit happen?"

"... My current project, it seems. It'll have to be scrapped entirely. My labs in your lands... destroy them."

That wasn't what he meant. They both had even seen Ignes warning him. Repeatedly. Through Lagus' journals, she'd recognised what the bloodstones did to her teacher. What they would do to him. He'd ignored her and everyone paid the price for that.

"... Maybe you just didn't care what would happen anymore."

"No. That really sounds like something I'd do," he admitted.

"What would you need to make sure that you won't?"

"As if I knew. More importantly... If _you_ don't complete your research... And why the ****fuck**** are Muzaka and the Noblesse still alive?"

"The Noblesse... we never found a body. Muzaka..." He might as well come clean. "I took his body for research. He should never have recovered that much, seeing as how he was barely alive to begin with. I'll have him _permanently_ dealt with. He's not even conscious right now. My poisons should work just fine."

Maduke growled. Great. Just _great._ "So once this loop ends... Stop you, kill Muzaka for real, deal with the union conspiracy and find the Noblesse and find a permanent solution. Got it."

"... I am essentially performing a little experiment right now. Aris has mental blocks on her. A noble has altered her memory before and it seems to have been during one of the time loops. If that holds... it's entirely possible that the bonds will as well. You'll be able to _make_ me stop because I'll have no choice but to believe you. Not when you're my bonded and I can't remember doing it."

"A noble altered her mind?" Maduke blinked. "Actually. I was going to ask you to, but then I died."

"... Alter... no. I'm not doing that. I'm keeping her. Eidetic memory. Bright problem solver. She has every potential to be as good a scientist as Ignes is. Possibly reach those heights in less time. That she is human is... unfortunate, but you work with what you have."

"So I guess when this is over, I won't have to deal with her and she'll be your problem?"

"She seems quite enamoured with you. I don't think she's going to leave you alone completely. But I will take her as an apprentice."

"As long as she's not in a position to turn her knowledge against us..."

Lagus snorted. "She's my bonded now. I can _mind control_ her into not doing so."

Maduke rubbed his temples. "One of the deaths I overdosed on those tranquilizers you made for me ages ago."

"You had to take them again? What happened?"

He simply decided to try sharing the memory - it'd be easier than retelling. How he'd let out all those complicated negative feelings, died, and finally went off the deep end.

"... Oh. How did she know about...?"

"I don't know." Her words were still haunting him. "And then I saw his ghost in the Siriana library."

"You saw his ghost?" In the Siriana library, of all places?

"I think so." He nodded.

Right. "Quite mysterious, but I don't think there's anything to be done about it."

"So you don't think he's haunting me?" Not that he didn't deserve it, but...

"Not deliberately, no. This time loop is... well. Things are already falling apart. He might just be a symptom of it."

"Greeeaaaat." Like he needed the ghost of his dead brother giving him heart attacks. "I still don't understand how to end this. We're stopping you already."

"And maybe the loop ends here. Who knows. Maybe there's something else that must be done. This is a very finicky and mysterious thing. What are the previous theories on it?"

"You did suggest we'd have to fall in love, essentially. At which I had a heart attack followed by a meltdown."

Lagus raised an eyebrow. “She isn’t _that_ bad, is she?” Though. “I doubt I meant romantic love specifically.”

"No. I'm absolutely _not_ open or available for _any_ new connection. I have two friends. I don't want or need more."

“Have you considered that perhaps, that is the problem?” They’d seen Maduke’s memories. “You... felt rather lonely, in addition to the other things. Is that because you lost me, or because you feel that way in general?”

"I'm really not -" Before he could continue, he narrowly dodged the tree's branch crashing down. "The _fuck_?!"

“I believe, friend, that that is divine confirmation.”

"What? Is the Moonmother holding the entire universe hostage to make me clean up my closets? That's a rather narcissistic assumption."

“If it leads to _that_...”

Maduke growled and simply held up his middle finger towards the sky. "Well fuck you too!"

“Please do not, Maduke. Aris needs time to adjust to her bond before time loops again.” If this wasn’t the last chance anyway.

He rubbed his temples, annoyed. "Why does it have to be about _my_ issues?" Ugh.

Well, he _was_ unnaturally destructive in that scene. “Perhaps it’s not just yours. Perhaps it’s hers as well.”

"What issues? She's at perfect peace with herself and the world."

"Not necessarily. Trauma has a way of manifesting even when removed from a situation. Or resurfacing when one's circumstances change. It's something I use to keep Ignes in line."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Take care of each other. I can only do so much from outside of your time. That's likely why I suggested the two of you get closer."

"..." He frowned. "Alright then..." This was weird. They had lots to think about, it seemed.

"Rest up, friend. You will need it."

"So will she." She was the one who just gained two new senses.

Lagus just chuckled. Was Maduke showing _care_ for the girl? That boded _wonderfully_.

"I think I'm going to hunt. You have some kind of vegetables here, do you?" Knowing Lagus, he surely had test subjects. Who needed food.

"Yes. The gardens to the left. Don't go to the right ones."

"What's on the right?"

"Do you want to be molested by vines again?"

"..." Right. "Alright. Alright. I'll go now."

With a laugh, Lagus headed back inside, intent on checking back up on Aris.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked amiably.

"It's... weird. But I think it's getting better." The tea helped somehow. She wondered why.

"That's splendid. Maduke is out to hunt since I don't have much in terms of food at home."

"... No? Why not?"

"I don't need food. And knowing Maduke, what I feed my test subjects won't satisfy him."

"Umm. You don't need food? Not even blood?" That was what vampires drank, right? And even if they weren't the same, that didn't mean that it wasn't a need.

"I photosynthesise," he cackled.

"For real!?" Her eyes _shone_ at the possibilities!

"It's one way to gain energy."

"One way?" He did so in other ways?

"My preferred way." Let her wonder about what else there might be. "Now, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Oh! Well..." What did he want to know? "I work as a scientist in the Union under Twelfth. I enjoy modifying men specifically. And I'm going to have to retrain my elite unit because they have _very_ bad teamwork."

"Your elite unit?" Ah she was splendid!

"My babies!" She went on to explain DA-5 to him, their various enhancements and how they were supposed to work.

"That sounds like great work." For a human. On a human.

She nodded. "I modelled them after Twelfth's Cerberus. That was more Ninth's work, but I was involved in it too, along with Ignes. But I have different goals in mind for them. Their experiment won't be complete for some time."

"That sounds like fascinating work. When all this blows over, I should get back in touch with Ignes."

"So, uh. Exactly how old _are_ you two?" If Lagus had known Maduke for two thousand years...

"Well. I am about ten thousand years old and likely the oldest person alive. Maduke, at about three thousand and four hundred, isn't exactly a young man either." She just squeaked in shock. _How?_ How did they live that long? Lagus laughed. "You should rejoice. A bond with a noble usually prolongs lives by about a tenfold of the time they would have had left."

_"Tenfold?"_ Ah, but... she had no idea how long she had left. Normally, it would only be five hundred at most, since she was in her fifties now. But... she was also physically fitter and more youthful than any woman her age should be, thanks to her enhancements. And cosmetic surgery could only do so much. Keeping skin soft and supple, making sure that aging wasn't having any effect... these things required _real_ science. So her estimated time left... wasn't something easy to figure out.

"Estimated. Which, interestingly, probably means Maduke is as good as immortal now." He rubbed his chin. "Another thousand years would be entirely reasonable, times ten..."

Right... that was... "I'm keeping him though." For the rest of her life, if possible.

Lagus chuckled benevolently. "It might do him good. He's lonelier than he's willing to admit."

"I get that vibe from him too!"

"He keeps even me and his best friend at arm's length. Of course, I'm not telling him how to live his life, but if that's what prevents the universe from imploding -”

She nodded. "Oh, I'd be seducing him into it otherwise. I have my ways. Even with someone like him."

"I have no doubt." Lagus chuckled. Maduke was pretty handsome but he was sure Aris was better suited for this 'task'.

"So, Ignes said you were her teacher?"

"Yes! She's quite the prodigy. I taught her all she needs to know to work on her own research now."

"Oh, so why is Ninth teaching her now then?"

"Ninth?" Lagus laughed at that, actually. "For all your brightness, it did not occur to you that Ignes is the teacher, there?"

Aris hummed. "Makes sense, but why would I think that? I know Ignes is one of you, but I don't know how old she is. And Ninth looks much older. Impressions do have effects."

"That _is_ true, I suppose. And Ignes is...a thousand and then some. So a young adult, by our standards."

A _thousand_ was a young adult!? And she wasn't expected to live that long, even with the enhancements! "I see... then I guess Fourth must be even older."

"Ah. Yes. He and Zarga are both some past two and a half," he confirmed jovially. "They mark the previous generation. After that, there is just me. And maybe my old friend, if he is sticking around, which he likely is."

"Old friend, huh?" And Lagus was definitely the older of the two? "Do you have relatively short life expectancies despite having such long lifespans otherwise then?"

"We generally just grow tired of life and decide we're done at some point."

Weird. It wasn't like you'd ever run out of things to do, right? "I guess I get it."

"It does get repetitive. But this is an experiment for me, too. I wonder if there _is_ a limit."

"I see! Depending on how aging works for you, you might have to have someone start noting things down for you when you get closer to your true end."

"Oh. Don't be mistaken. I look like this by choice." He snickered. "An experiment of mine went a bit wrong and I decided this is a good look for me."

"By choice?" He could... look different. "Is that why you actually don't have eyebrows? Maduke's are just thin and pale."

"I don't need eyebrows." He chuckled. "That's not my aesthetic."

She nodded understandingly. "Gotta be a tree, right?"

"Yes. I feel it's very fitting for me," he agreed with a cordial chuckle. "Do you want to see my laboratory?"

"Sure!" That sounded neato! Lagus was happy to show her around - and amazed. The misery of the test subjects... Their fear and despair... It was all nothing to her. Their pleas were met by deaf ears. She was truly amazing.


	20. Chapter 20

By the time they returned, Maduke was back, out in the garden. He'd hunted an antelope, not his usual prey, but good enough. "Where did you two wander off to?" He questioned when he noticed the scientists were back.

"Oh! Lagus was just showing me his labs! They're neat!" She chirped.

"I can believe that. Lagus. I need a knife." He didn't want to use the meteorite dagger for just about anything.

"Of course." Lagus went to a drawer, pulling out... "Will this one work, or do you need a different shape?"

"That's good enough!" He called from the gardens. "I don't remember when I last had antelope."

Aris giggled. She hadn't ever had antelope that she could remember! "Is it good?"

"A bit like venison, if I remember well." He rolled his sleeves up to the elbows. Once Lagus gave him the knife, he began skinning and gutting his quary. "I presume you don't mind the sight of blood."

"Nope." She laughed. "What would have given you the idea that I did? I saw what you did to my babies."

"Oh?" Lagus inquired, happy to check on his plants while they were keeping Maduke company in the butchering of the animal.

"Absolutely destroyed them." She huffed. "I blame it on bad teamwork and poor strategy. Maduke _can_ end it in a few seconds anyway, but if he's going to draw it out, that's an opportunity in itself. One they bungled royally."

"You never let _me_ do an observation study," Lagus complained with a chuckle. "You never had something to offer in return," Maduke quipped. "Aris, see if you find anything like onions, spices and other interesting things in this garden."

“Sure!” She moved to leave. “Left path only!” Lagus called behind her. “You’ll get eaten if you take the right!”

By the time she returned, Maduke had pretty much dismantled the antelope. "Too bad none of this is permanent. I could have made you some leather bracelets," he noted with a chuckle.

“Ooh! That _would_ be cool.” Well. “Something to do once we’re out of this, maybe?”

Maduke hummed. "So, what did you find?"

“Here you go! Looks like he’s growing garlic too!” She put her finds on the table. A lot of the wild plants in the area, plus a few others, it seemed were on Lagus’s grow-for-fun menu.

Maduke nodded, setting down the fine cuts he had retrieved. "I can work with that. Lagus. I assume you will find use for whatever we are not using?"

_”_ _Everything_ can be composted. It’s what I do with the deceased subjects after I’ve finished with them.”

"Good. And I see you got a cooking pot too." He nodded. Probably for brewing all sorts of concoctions, but for a stew it should do just fine as well.

A stew then? They were having stew? Good enough! She looked forward to it. “I’ll get some water for it.” Lagus grabbed the pot to go and fill it.

"And if you have wine, bring that too!", he called as he set the wood on fire with little more than a snap of his fingers that sparked his aura into igniting heat.

"I think I have a couple of the ones you sent me last time. I don't drink much." Lagus returned with the pot in hand, the bottles floating in mid-air with his telekinesis.

Maduke nodded and simply had Lagus set them down. First, sear the meat while he sorted out the vegetables Aris had gathered. "Salt?"

"Down in the labs. I'll go get it."

Why...? For preserving things, likely. Maduke nodded. "I don't remember the last time I actually cooked myself," he muttered.

"You don't do a lot of cooking?" Aris tilted her head. For the same reason Lagus didn't?

"I have a private cook." One who certainly knew richer varieties of foods than he did. "I might fire him when this is over."

"Oh?" Because he liked cooking himself? Or because the cook was bad?

Maduke didn't elaborate further and tossed the vegetables into the pot and let them cook on the heat for a bit while he opened a bottle of wine. A careful sip straight from the bottle to check whether it was good before he poured it in the pot.Aris hummed happily as she watched, Lagus coming back up shortly with the salt. "I just grabbed one of the packs. I don't imagine you'll need the whole thing." That would fill up a quarter of the pot with salt, after all.

"Hm. No." He did salt it generously, though, before adding other spices Aris had harvested. Not ideal, but one had to make do with what they found. "Now we wait."

That was fine by Aris. Going down into the labs had hurt her head with how _loud_ the subjects were. "Don't worry, you'll adjust and learn to turn it off in time. I understand humans take less time to than our children do," Lagus assured, noting her slight distress. "I'll get you some more tea."

"You just gained two additional senses, didn't you?" Maduke questioned.

Aris nodded. "It's... difficult adjusting. Do you just _feel_ this all the time?"

"Werewolves only have six senses. Our sense of aura, smell and hearing are finer than nobles', so that didn't change for me."

"Well, you have seven now," Lagus replied. "Of major senses. The minor ones that humans also have aren't counted here." Like balance and direction.

"It's strange." Though as someone who'd moderately learned to protect his mind at least on the surface, this was probably easier to handle than for Aris.

"What did you guys see that bothered you so much, anyway?" Aris asked.

"..." Maduke shuffled. "I might or might not have, among other crimes, committed genocide to absorb the whole world to power myself up."

Aris whistled. "That's a bit much. I'd recommend not doing that."

"That's a great plan. Besides that, Lagus' research is what drove both of us into this madness. Which, coincidentally, is what I was thinks about when we got hit by lighting."

"Oh!" Then yeah, that would make sense! "So not doing that research then." "Yes. I'm going to destroy that data so it can't be used to that end at all. But my other goals remain."

"I wonder if that might be it, really," Maduke admitted. "Preventing this. And when we take care of Crombel... we only need to find out _who_ was behind drugging you."

"I... vaguely recall Yuri on that battlefield as well. Given his allegiance, it might be reasonable to assume..." That Crombel _was_ behind it.

Maduke nodded slowly. "Lagus, do you have a means of contacting Roctis?"

"Same communication array as the Union has, yes."

"Good. Then let's give him a call and outsource dealing with Crombel. Unless...?" He glanced at Aris. if she wanted to take this up in person, he would not rob her of that.

She sighed. "I want to, but I'm in no condition to. I've got a few years before that happens. We can wait until then, I think."

"We can still take him out of the race even now."

"You want it done now? If so, that's fine."

"I think that the sooner we prevent our deaths, the sooner we are _out_ of this weird loop."

She nodded. "Then do it. Just... have Yuri saved for me later."

"We'll do it at the summit." Which was tomorrow. They'd have to organise a way back.

She approached for a hug. "We're gonna get it solved soon!"

Maduke briefly placed his hand against her back in replacement for a full-on hug. Then back to cooking while Lagus took care of organising a way to get to Japan. While Lagus was taking care of that, Maduke began serving the stew in misappropriated clay pots since Lagus did not have real dinnerware for obvious reasons. "This should be edible at least." He had to sort of improvise with this.

"I look forward to trying it!" Something her _werewolf prince_ had made!

He sat down with her and opened another bottle of wine for them to drink with it. Because why not? _Cute._ Lagus sat to the side with his own cup of tea. They really didn't know what a handsome couple they made, did they?

"Are you having some too?", Maduke questioned while, carefully, observing Aris' reactions from the corner of his eye.

"Is there enough for another? Otherwise, no. I'd rather make sure you two stay healthy," Lagus stated. Aris hummed contentedly at the flavours. He certainly did know how to cook!

"If you have another flower pot to eat out of," Maduke commented with a snort before trying the stew. It was decent. It lacked laurel and rosemary, in his opinion, but this would still do. Once they were done, Lagus showed them a guest room they could use until they would be picked up to go for Japan. A bit of a break. "So..." Maduke sat on the bed. "What do you think of Lagus?"

"He's pretty nice!" She stretched out onto it. Only one bed, huh? This was a familiar book trope. Far too late for it to matter, however. "A bit eccentric, I think. He says he looks like he does deliberately, rather than a matter of course for aging."

Maduke gave a nod. "I still remember what he looked like before his experiment accident."

"You do?" What was it like?

"Fairly tall. Purple hair he usually wore in a braid. He had many of those tree-like lines even before. Jovial as ever. Then, an experiment cost him all of his hair and he decided this was a look that suited him. Something about him feeling he was too old for being taken for a handsome young man."

Made as much sense as anything. "So he looked really young before?"

"He actually did. When we first met, I thought he was about my age."

"Were you surprised to find out otherwise?"

Maduke snickered. "I guess so. I heard of how _strange_ they all are, of course, but to see it for myself..."

"I was shocked to find out you're over three thousand. That's older than most current civilisations!"

He gave a hum. "Yes. I've watched the end of a fair few of them."

"So, did you wind up getting your dagger shortly after it was created then?"

"Yes. Two were made - one given to the young pharaoh, and one to me." Maduke gave a nod in confirmation.

“Oh! That’s where it looks familiar! I thought I’d seen a more damaged one in a book.”

"Tutankhamun's meteorite dagger, yes." Maduke nodded. "We were about the same age, in terms of appearance." The young pharaoh had died a couple of months later, most likely, given how apparently he had died in his early teens.

And Maduke would marry whoever brought him the dagger’s twin... “I see!” Well. She was going to have to pull a museum heist, wasn’t she? Easy enough.

"It was my first time leaving home and meeting humans, too." Actually. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "There is something important..."

“Something important?”

"You should leave the Union. Once you become Lagus' apprentice, and with my support, you will no longer need them. You will acquire knowledge I do not want in Union hands."

Leave the Union? “What about Twelfth?” She didn’t care for anyone else there, but Twelfth, Twelfth was someone she actually wanted alive.

"What about him?"

“I’m actually kind of attached to him.”

"That does not mean you have to _work_ for him."

Oh. Fair enough. “I’ll see about it.” It really depended on how things went.

"I'd hate to dispose of you, you know." So it would be best for everyone if she simply withdrew from the Union and continued her studies under Lagus instead.

She rolled over to face him. “Now why would you do that? I know how to keep a secret. This loop was just free game.” Besides. “There’s an experiment I need to complete first. Then I’ll see what Lagus has to teach me.”

"He might help you bring them to perfection, you know." He made himself comfortable on his half of the bed.

She hummed. “I don’t think I’ll be allowed to take DA-5 with me. So best just wait out their expiration dates and then go. I’ll make a new set here. They’re _made_ to be both elite and have a lower life expectancy than the average soldier. Perfecting them... might counteract that. And would corrupt my current data. Getting a second set with a new team with new enhancements would be more effective.”

"... I see. So no missive from high above? You know Twelfth could not do anything if I ordered that." He was too high above in the Union hierarchy.

She giggled. “Once I’m done, okay? It’s a big change and this way gives me time to adjust. Maybe send letters back and forth with Lagus so I can get to know him better.” See if she could _really_ trust him.

"I'll trust you on that." He absolutely was not. Maduke was not someone who just _trusted_ people.

Nodding, she sat to wrap her hands around Maduke’s back. “Thank you. I know it seems weird, but you’re asking for me to leave the place where I found I belong for the mere chance that another might suit me better. I need to know that it _does_ first.”

"I am asking you to leave for your own safety."

“And you can assure me the place I’d be going is safer?”

"In any case, I trust Lagus more than most of the Union."

Hmm. A good case. She supposed. "I intend to go learn from him anyway. I'll give my answer of when once we've gotten confirmation that the time loop is sorted out. Promise." She kissed the back of his neck.

Idly, he placed a hand against her back. "You would no longer be held back by anything the Union might try to impose on you."

"All very good reasons." She rolled over to straddle him. "But you're being a bit pushy now. I feel like I have to make you wait until the loop is sorted as a matter of principle now."

He snickered. "I am used to getting my way. Sooner or later."

She hummed. "But I'm having mine now." Fun was good. And then they'd rest.

They had plenty of fun - and about two hours later, they were en route again, picked up by one of Eleventh's helicopters. That would take them to the airport from which they would board a private plane.

"Wish us luck, friend." Maduke placed a hand on Lagus shoulder.  
"I certainly hope for your success." Lagus clapped a hand on Maduke's shoulder as well. "If not... well. We'll see if soul magic holds. I might come seek you out if it does."

"Southern San Francisco, California," Aris announced with a grin. "Thank you." She felt... strange. But hopefully everything would go well at the summit this time.  
  
The journey was pretty calm - until the sky darkened as they approached the islands of Japan. However, they should still get to the airport fine. Maduke shifted. "We really made it, huh?" He could see the city lights already.

“Looks like!” Aris’s hands clasped together. They made it again! Finally!

Maduke closed his eyes for a minute - and when he opened them again, the seat facing him was no longer empty. Startled, he backed into his own seat, followed by piercing yellow eyes. The boy sat quietly, watched, unfazed by the horror on Maduke's face.

"When's the last time you were here, Maduke?" Aris clearly couldn't see the vision he was.

She received no answer - in a bout of horror, Maduke unleashed a flash of aura at the boy in the seat, destroying not only the seats but also a portion of the flooring. "Stop ha-" He spluttered. Blood.

Aris's face paled as the cabin rapidly depressurised. There was no winning this situation.


	21. Chapter 21

His heart gave in to the dread of those unwavering eyes as the crash claimed Aris - and when Maduke found himself back in his bathroom, his state was no better. He splashed cold water in his face, several handfuls, until everything was a wet mess. And he still felt dismantled. No. Before he could go see Aris... he needed to sort out this cursed ghost. Again, no Juraki to greet him. Gotaru, crossing his way, had to summon Zaiga instead. And Lunark.

"My Lord?" The two greeted out of sync as they arrived.

Zaiga was still there. He still _existed._ Good. Maduke felt a slight twinge of relief - while waiting, he had questioned Gotaru on some people the young warrior _should_ know and to his horror, a couple of them did not ring a bell. People were disappearing indeed. "We're going on a walk," he announced, getting off his throne. As he passed Zaiga, he briefly patted his shoulder. "I am glad you still exist."

"Thank you, Lord. Am glad you exist as well," Zaiga responded, he and Lunark falling in step behind Maduke.

"Zaiga, we're headed for the Lordswood. Get the medicine from my bathroom and catch up with us." If the ghost came back, he would be armed this time.

"Of course!" The medicine from his bathroom... did he think he'd have another meltdown? "The Lordswood?" Lunark asked. Why there?

Maduke did not answer her question as he led the way out of the castle. "There is another question you're dying to ask me, isn't there?"

"... Another question, Lord?" She had no idea what he was talking about.

"If either of us were to die any minute now…"

Lunark nodded, trying to follow with what he was trying to ask.

"I know what you want to ask. I just don't understand _why_."

"And what is it I want to ask, Lord?" Please, please let it not be about her sire. How would he have even found out about it?

"Unless you secretly learned some wicked mysticism, I won't get angry."

She took a breath. "What do you know about a man named 'Rasmut'?" If it were like this, then maybe... "I heard the name long ago."

"From who?" His posture tensed. Just _why_ would she ask about that man in particular?

"From my mothers."

"Who was he to them?" Could it be...?

"... I was told never to speak to you specifically about it, Lord, but... he was my sire," she admitted. For that reason, she also thought that he might be the one who knew the most.

Her sire. Lunark was his niece? That explained some things. Including why the haunting began after he'd brutally murdered her. "I see."

"So... who was he then? My mothers simply said he was someone who had been sentenced to execution as a traitor."

Lunark's phone buzzing and the sensation of Zaiga catching up with them was welcome. "Who's messaging you?"

Her brow furrowed. "Whoever it is says 'still reading minds. It hurts'."

"Reply that I still feel it too." He's been sort of distracted by the whole ghost story.

"... Okay..." Weird, but she'd do just that.

"Zaiga. Did you find them?" It was important.

Zaiga held up the bottle. "I did."

"Good. If you notice anything off, every moment will count. Trust me."

“For you?” He asked.

"Yes." He'd really rather not die again. Not because of this.

"Understood." He'd keep an eye. They reached the Lordswood at last - and Maduke headed straight for the tree of Neith. His grandmother. His family. "Hey, you dead cunt! Look who I brought!" He called out.

"... Lord?" Lunark asked. What was he doing?

"Isn't that what you're haunting me for? Well look at that, she's fine! You can stop pulling this shit!"

Zaiga and Lunark looked at each other before Zaiga shook out three of the tablets. That was what Lagus had said Maduke could safely take. Maduke had to have gone off the deep end.

"I'm not going to brutally murder her _again_ so get off my back and _stay_ gone!"

" _Again?_ " Lunark asked incredulously.

"That's why he's haunting me, _right_?!" Maduke had a wild glint to his eye - like when his demons took over and pushed aside the carefully maintained self control. "In your dying breath you could have said ANYTHING and you little devil had to bring his name back!"

"Lord, take these." Zaiga insisted.

"I'm not seeing ghosts _yet_!"

He cleared his throat. "But you _are_ displaying the same symptoms as when you'd usually take these."

Maduke took a couple of breaths. "Alright. I'd hate to die again." He simply took the pills and swallowed them.

"Lord... are you... okay?" Lunark asked. She... was going to go up and ask the shaman about this episode.

"Do I _look_ okay?!" That came out more irritated than it was supposed to. "Your sire's ghost has been haunting me!"

"... I... don't think they actually exist." At any rate. "You... should get some rest." Lunark looked _genuinely worried_ about him.

Maduke took a deep breath. This was... Zaiga turned away from them. The tree... While they had been distracted by the imminent meltdown of the Lord, the tree had caught on fire.

Lunark's face paled. That was... one of their sacred trees. Shit! What did they do.

Maduke swirled around and he was met with the empty stare of yellow eyes once more. "You!"

"We have nothing left to burn," the boy said and in that moment, as his knees gave in and his heart stopped, Maduke realised: it wasn't his brother who was haunting him.

* * *

Aris came to in the bathroom. That had been... one hell of an episode. One moment she was chatting with Ignes about her newfound powers and the next she was choking on her own blood. What happened? She whipped out her phone to text Maduke. Had something major gone down on his end?

When Lunark approached him with her phone, he simply dialed Aris directly. Impatiently, he barely waited for her to pick up the phone before - " _I_ am the ghost."

“ _You_ are?” Then... definitely hallucinations, right?

"Yes. That was not my brother. That was _me._ As a child."

“So what do we do about it?” If it was him, that just pointed to... well. Either way it was mental issues that needed solving.

"Damned if I knew." Maduke groaned in frustration. So stopping Lagus and Crombel was really not enough?

"Antihallucinatories? Maybe a psilocybin to actively search it out?" She suggested.

"We'll have to see. I can get hallucinogens. And Lagus can take care of something against. Also, I'd like to point out, I don't _usually_ hallucinate."

"Of course. I think a few more people went missing, but no one I care about, so..."

"Great. Just great." Maduke ran his hand over his face. "I'll get the mushrooms and will come and find you.”

"Alright!" She giggled. "I'll make sure to prep some water and find somewhere safe to use."

"Water? I don't think I need to stay hydrated while having a hallucination induced heart attack but thank you." He ended the call.

She would bring some anyway. It would be good for him! But where to use? She'd figure it out!

Maduke handed the phone back to Lunark. "Where do we store prohibited and confiscated substances?"

"... The science storerooms?" She knew the scientists sometimes got some to use in experiments.

Alright then. "Check on Zaiga while I get what I need."

“Who is Zaiga?”

He froze. No. Maduke turned around sharply. "You're kidding me, right?"

“Um... no? Am I supposed to know someone by that name?”

"FUCK!" He swirled around and headed for the laboratories.

Confused, Lunark simply decided to continue on about her business.

Once Maduke had the mushrooms, he rushed across the seas to join the party. Looking a bit windswept. Now he needed to find Aris. She waited for him outside, opposite where DA-5 would arrive and stay, a litre-thermos-full of water in hand. “There you are!” She rushed for a hug.

He accepted the hug - and for the first time, he actually returned it. Moonmother knew he needed it. "Zaiga is gone."

“What?!” That was... his best friend, right? She squeezed him a bit tighter.

"... He's just _gone_ as if he never existed!" And he was upset. There were few things that could actually possibly touch him, but this...

“... Think we’ll get him back, if we fix things?”

"We better, or else I _will_ eat the moon." He did not care how.

“Moon rocks are very sharp. That might hurt,” she said absent-mindedly. “But yeah.”

"I have hallucinogens. Except I don't see how they will help." Of course, he'd brought them just in case anyway, but he'd really need more of an explanation as to _why_ Aris thought this might help.

“Ah! Right. Well, as I figure, if they’re hallucinations anyway, we have two options. Either try and stop them with medicine, or see _just how deep_ the hallucinations lead you.” She giggled. “I think there’s an old Native American stereotype that describes something like that? Spirit quests?”

"... Why do _I_ have to go soul-searching like this?"

“Do you have a better idea for it?” They could do that instead.

No." He growled in frustration. "I am simply annoyed by this." He did not _want_ to confront whatever that little demonic hallucination meant.

She squeezed him. “And if I promise nice rewards for it? I’m here for you, you know?”

He did not _want_ to need anyone. "And you don't have demons to deal with? No dead bodies in your closets?"

She hummed. “I already told you who I killed. Do you want me to take some with you?” She would.

A bitter laugh. "Go on a hell-trip together? Alright."

She stood on her tip-toes, cheeks puffing out. “You have no idea how annoying it is that I can’t kiss you whenever I want. You look good tall, but...” Maybe there was such a thing as too tall?

Hah. She really could be adorable and leaned in to kiss her. A long, deep, profound kiss. One hand on her cheek, one hand on her waist.

"You're great, you know that?" She giggled. "Let's go find a wasteland to use in."

He chuckled and nodded. "Where I fought your 'elite' teams?"

"That'll be fine!" She nodded.

Together, they headed for the field where a couple of loops ago, he had decimated the union's elite squads. "I wonder what demons we will end up meeting."

"Dunno. Do we go one at a time?" So they could take care of each other? "Or at the same time?"

"No holding back." He pulled out the bag of mushrooms. "Now... you can imagine how strong something must be to even work on me... so..."

"So take..." Hmm. "One hundredth what you do and see if it takes effect? Slowly increase dosage?"

"Sounds about right." He simply chomped down on a whole mushroom, which was already generous.

She raised an eyebrow. "Did you bring the dagger?" So she could get a more precise slice.

"I did." He offered it to her.

"Thank you!" She deftly used it to cut a minute portion for herself before handing it back. "I do know where to get the twin blade, you know."

"I know. That turned the joke pretty lame."

"Ah. Joke was from before then? Hopefully no one kept making it then." Alright. Noted. So he knew too!

"Yes." He closed his eyes for a moment. "My mother used to pester me about settling down."

Aris giggled. "And here I was all ready for a museum heist. I doubt I'm anyone's idea of a decent daughter-in-law."

"Oh by any means. Go wild." He laughed. Right. Slowly, he sprawled out in the grass. "Only a single star." The sky was too bright otherwise.

"Yeah. Light pollution is awful. The night sky was more beautiful in my youth." She laid down nearby. Just a bit of distance in case of seizure.

"There's places in the world where it is still like that," he mumbled and pointed at a point in the general northwest. "Sivulik should be there. The star above home."

"Polaris? Or is Sivulik a different star?"

"No. I believe modern science calls it Arcturus. Polaris should be there." He indicated northeast.

"Oh! Okay! I admit astronomy was not one of my strong suits as far as science goes."

"Any werewolf worth his salt knows the sky like the palm of his hand." If only the sky would stand still, though.

“Too bad there’s not more out then.” She was silent for a few moments before asking, “how long does it take for these to take effect, usually?”

"Not long." He metabolised fast. And indeed, soon enough, the world danced around them - and in this field, they passed out.


	22. Chapter 22

Maduke blinked. He was in a bathroom again. However... That wasn't his room. No. The appearance. The smell. The sound. Nothing was his home. He blinked at his reflection and stepped away. Somewhere, a man could be heard shouting. Where was he? When he wanted to open the door, his hand went straight through the handle. And the door. Was he...? "Shit..." Maduke stepped through the closed door. Then the wall, for good measure. Shit. He was a ghost. Slowly, he looked around. A children's room. Dolls. And a red haired girl with a book.

The girl blinked, looking up from the book. "Who are you?" It was little more than a whisper, clearly afraid to raise her own voice with the shouting in the background.

Maduke blinked as well. Green eyes, a hint of freckles. "Who are _you_?"

"Um. Temperance. Temperance Reece." She nodded. Wait. She cowered a bit. "Not 'sposed to talk to strangers."

He glanced at her book. Even from here, he could tell it was something with anatomy. Could it be... He stepped closer and crouched down. "I'm not a stranger."

"My parents don't know you. That means you're a stranger."

"There's a lot they don't know. Like how smart you are. Am I right?"

She frowned. "I'm not smart. Daddy says I can't do anything right."

"When you read things, you remember them."

"Yeah. But that's not hard." Was it?

"It's what makes you special. I met you in the future. Your talent helped me a lot with that."

She blinked. The future? "Where's your flying car then? Jetson's says that'll be the car of the future!"

"I forgot it in the bathroom." He snickered. "We traveled together. I wonder where the big you ended up now."

"Big me?" She frowned. "Did I find a nice prince to marry like the fairy tales?" She gasped and her eyes widened with excitement. "Are _you_ my prince!?"

He laughed a little. "You had your ups and downs. And in the end, you didn't need a prince. Everyone calls you Doctor and you do whatever you want."

"Umm. I don't think I'm allowed to do that." She seemed worried.

"No. Your parents didn't help you at all. Everything you had, you had because you had the strength and wits to get it."

"Umm..." She seemed rather uncomfortable, like she couldn't even fathom such a life.

"Don't worry. A lot will happen. But you _will_ come out on top." He nodded. "Now... I seem to be sort of stuck and a bit of a ghost." He reached through a nearby stuffed toy to demonstrate. "Any ideas what to do?"

"I could ask my parish priest about an exorcism, maybe?" She tilted her head.

"I don't know about that. Am I maybe supposed to do something? Is there something a ghost from the future can help you with?"

She frowned. "Can you make Daddy stop screaming?" They could hear a woman's sobs interspersed at this point.

"I will try." Maduke nodded and stood up again.

She gave a thin smile, standing herself to grab a porcelain doll, sleeves sliding up to show finger-shaped bruises on her arms.

No wonder she had burned this house down. No wonder she had listened to them scream. Maduke followed the sound of the screams - though when he cleared his throat, no reaction came.

"Never should have married you! Anyone would have been better."

"I know. Just please stop! I'll do better."   
  
"Better isn't good enough!"

"Hey! You!" Great. They did not react. He really _was_ a ghost, wasn't he? Nothing worked - he could not touch them, could not be heard, could not step in - even downright using aura aggressively did not show any effect. He truly was a ghost.

Temperance just sat in her room, listening to the ghost’s voice raise as she traced the curves of a doll’s face. If she were as pretty as one, would her father not hate her as much, perhaps? Or... well. Maybe she’d like to look like that for her own sake.

Even Maduke one of the both physically and politically most powerful men in the world, could not do a single thing - and defeated, he returned to 'Aris'. "I am too much of a ghost." His voice was unusually small for his usual bravado. He crouched down in front of her. "On the off-chance that this is more than a feverish dream on mushrooms..."

“Mushrooms? Some are poison! Don’t eat them!” Her nose wrinkled.

"I know... I know." A small chuckle. "If this is real... if this is really the you I will know one day... I ask you to promise me one thing."

“Um. What?”

"Live. Fight. Fight for your right to live, tooth and claw, and with everything you got. Survive. Thrive. No matter what it takes. And find me again."

"Okay." If he said so…A bright light filled the mirror against her wall and he felt as though it was calling him. "I will be somewhere out there. Waiting for the day we meet again."

She gasped as he faded away. He... he had to be her prince, right? He had to be!

* * *

While Maduke encountered a small Aris, Aris herself had an interesting encounter - she found herself by a river, kneeling in the soft mud at the river bed. Nearby, voices could be heard - a group of boys, talking. She stood and approached, trying to take note of what was going on. Did they have... tails? About five boys, aged between nine and fourteen, were gathered around two carcasses. One of them, only sparsely furred compared to the others, had sternly tied back ashen hair and piercing yellow eyes - and he used a stone knife to cut open a deer. Another boy was cutting open a boar. "You know," the ashen-haired one started. "Your cuts still look like you can't even hold a knife right, Akkar." 

"Don't be an ass, Maduke," the boy growled. "I'm _trying_."

Oh! Cute! They were hunting! She giggled as she watched. Before he could react, Maduke heard the giggle - and turned to check. Huh. A woman. He stared at her for a few moments before another boy waved his hand in front of his face. "Hey, you still there?"

"Yeah.." Maduke glanced at Aris another time before turning back to skinning his deer. "You know, it's been two thousand years since the last time someone passed their rites as young as me," he announced.

He saw her? He looked so _tiny_ and _cute_ and look at that tail! So fluffy! “What’s with the tail?”

This time, he actually turned around to look at her. "What?" His tail swished.

"What?", the other boys asked, confused. They could not _see_ her.

“Can the others not see?” She tilted her head, swivelling back and forth cutely. “Only you, Maduke?”

The boys did not answer- and so neither did he. He did not want them to think he was crazy. However... the mere knowledge that this weird woman was there... "I'm taking this deer home," he announced and picked the carcass up easily and turned to leave. "See you later, losers."

Aris followed. “So. Tail?”

"It's what kids have. Duh. Are you a ghost?"

“Ghost? I don’t think so. Took some weird mushrooms and I wound up here!”

"Well. I haven't seen you before and no one else sees you so you probably are a ghost."

“So then, why is it that you can then, Maduke?” What was his theory here. “Bit weird that you’re so small. I’m used to hanging out with the adult you.”

"The adult me?" He blinked a few times. "I am a warrior, right? _And Lord._ I am totally going to be Lord. Just like Ananaksaq."

“Um. I wouldn’t know, actually. You’re not very forthcoming with information. You are very powerful, and said you’re one of the strongest. And you live in a castle.” So maybe?

"What's a castle? Is that something good?" He tilted his head, clearly liking what he heard so far.

“It’s like if someone decided to make a fortified palace.” More or less.

"Oh. Like the big house Tut lives in? Cool." He nodded and dropped the deer to continue his work, away from his peers. "So. And who are you anyway?"

“Aris. I’m a scientist.” Oh! “Didn’t want to keep skinning the deer around your friends?”

"I kinda wanted to know what you're about."

“Fair enough.” She giggled. “I’m not sure the technology exists in this time to explain what I do.”

"... Oooookay. So you're some kind of time magician? Except not a very good one because only I can see you?"

“I guess? I don’t think we were supposed to time travel though.”

"No? So whst was supposed to happen?"

"Ah... it's a _long_ story. One that does include _actual_ time travel, but only in about the span of a week. Mostly we were trying to stop a ghost from haunting you but it seems now _I'm_ a ghost and I assume I'm somewhere back in your childhood." Which was wild.

The boy blinked. Whatever. His deer. "Does this hide look cleanly cut?"

She looked it over. "Could need a bit sharper knife, but other than that, it's good." She nodded.

Maduke gave a little growl. "I have sharper knives, but gotta use one I made myself."

“One you made yourself? For what?”

"The trials of adulthood. Duh." He rolled his eyes. "Gotta go live in the woods for a week with nothing and come back with a knife and cloak I made myself."

“Ah. Okay. So. A sharper handmade knife then. Are there any nearby volcanoes?”

"Uhm. What's that?" The boy frowned.

“A volcano? It’s like... it’s a mountain that sometimes lets _very_ hot liquid rock come from it. And some of those rocks are good for making very sharp knives.”

"Uhm. No. We just got normal mountains." He started folding his hide.

“Hmm. What is your current knife made of?”

"Stone." With his hide rolled up, he got up and grabbed the deer again to take it back to the village. "Oh. And I'm not gonna talk to you with people around, don't wanna seem like a weirdo."

“Okay... but what kind of stone? Different kinds have different sharpness, you know.”

"I dunno!" He puffed his cheeks out. "Stone is stone."

She just giggled. “And metal is just refined stone. I’d suggest finding some flint for your knife.”

He noted her, but did not reply as they entered the outskirts of the village. By a group of tanning racks, several werewolves were working on skins - the adults had neither tails nor fur. He was greeted cordially by some of them and he nodded back. Ah... No free rack. Except on one of them, a girl was trying to clean her hide. A bit younger than him. "Hey. Amaala. I need that rack."

Aris tilted her head. Was this just the culture here?

"Uhm-. But I am -"

"Just finished and will let me next because we are such good friends," Maduke cut in. Of course, he would not cause a scene in front of the adults - but the girl almost flinched at the look he gave her. "Yeah! I am... uh.. totally finished." She was absolutely not. But she knew exactly that he _would_ make her pay for not letting him first. And so, she gathered her things and made space for him.

Aris giggled where she was. She felt a bit bad for the girl, but this was how the world worked. You either took what you could to live, or you fell to the bottom.When the adults spoke to him, his demeanour shifted completely - playing the nice, good son. He offered for one of the men to take the deer carcass to his mother - an aging woman whose joints prevented her from hunting. "What a nice young man you are!" A woman laughed and Maduke preened at the praise. There was definitely not much niceness to him. Once he had his hide, he wished his elders a good day before heading for the river. "So. You're still here?" He glanced at the ghost.

"I actually don't know what I'm supposed to do to go back. But I like you so I don't mind sticking around!" Though she _really_ wished she had her bigger, adult version and she wasn't see through.

"... Okay. Are you, like, my girlfriend or something?" He eyed her up and down. She was _really_ pretty.

"Oh, I'll get you as mine eventually." She nodded. "So far you've been stand-offish though. But everyone says you're like that with everyone, so..."

"Me?" He snickered. "You just heard yourself. I'm a really _nice young man._ "

"You don't know whether you'll stay that way or not though," she pointed out. "Though I think you're a great man in general."

Maduke chuckled. "I'm making this as practice. Gonna show it to Ataata when I am done. I bet _that_ will impress him."

It was strange how she could just understand everything he was saying here, considering she couldn't actually speak his language. And he was understanding her English as well, despite it being... what, at least three thousand years in the past? Magic mushroom fuckery, she supposed. "Does he like that kind of thing?"

"He's gonna see his son is the real deal." He nodded. "That's the important bit."

"The real deal?" What did that entail?

"I'm gonna be the youngest wolf to pass the trials in like, two thousand years. That's something. He's gonna be _proud._ "

"Is he not usually?" She frowned. "In my experience, trying to impress a parent who doesn't care enough to be never works."

"He's been kinda off ever since uncle died," Maduke explained.

"Oh... my condolences."

"It's okay. I didn't really know him anyway. He and my cousins all got killed like fifty years ago."

"Fifty? How old are you?"

"A hundred and thirty!", he chirped.

Whoa! He was older than she was already and still so clearly a kid!? How odd! "You guys age so weird!"

He frowned. "... You're not a werewolf, are you?"

"Nope!" She popped the 'p', as was her habit. "Human." She giggled.

"Ehw." His nose wrinkled at that.

She tilted her head. "I didn't have that reaction finding out you _weren't_ human."

"Yeah, humans die if you hug them too hard, no human even reaches my age and they are really bad. Everyone knows that."

"You've hugged me _plenty_ where I came from! And..." Well. "I admit that I'm only in my fifties, but I have plenty of life left in me. I won't refute the bad thing, though. Human men in particular are _awful_."

Maduke huffed and stopped at the river to wash his hide and to make sure there weren't flaws in the insulation. "A Lord can't just hang out with a human woman. Or even noble. Gotta be with a werewolf woman and have plenty of little pureblood warriors. Everyone knows that."

"And why is that? Seems like a dumb rule if you ask me. Why not just like who you like?"

"Because we're the _best_. The strongest." He tried to flex his not quite yet developed biceps.

She giggled. _Cute_. "I know. I've seen it. You ripped right through the elite team I built like they were paper!"

He grinned. "So I _am_ strong. Yeah!"

"So you don't like nobles then? I know you have at least one noble friend where I came from."

"Grandma doesn't like them. Neither does ataata. Uncle was with one though."

"Oh?" That sounded like... some trouble. If his uncle was with one, and was murdered...

"They're weird. And arrogant." He nodded. "Everyone knows that."

Sounded like prejudice to her, but okay. "Lagus didn't seem particularly arrogant to me. _More than_ weird, but he was actually very kind."

"Who now?"

"Your noble friend."

"... Right." This was getting weird. In any case... he was done with the hide. With that rolled up tight, he headed back to the village. "Anaana is out with baby Rasmut and grandma, but I think Ataata is at home."

Rasmut... that was his brother, right? The one he'd originally thought was haunting him? She noted that down. "Alright! Let's go!"

He led the way to a larger stone house and entered. Silence. And the smell of... "Ataata?"

"What is it?" It wasn't like she had more senses here besides that of hearing and sight. Slowly, he made his way up the stairs to the second floor of the building and carefully pushed open the door to the bedroom of his parents. His rolled-up hide dropped to the floor as he stared, wide-eyed, at the bloody mess. Blood had splattered everywhere, ran dry on the floor and the body of a man who had ended his life rather gruesomely.

Aris followed, seeing the scene. "You should go get your mother." A child his developmental state should not be dealing with this scene.

"..." Her words went unheard as silence rang in his ears. His father. For a few moments, he just stood there, staring, then retched and turned away, almost fleeing the scene.

"Hey! Wait!" She followed, worried about him. There weren't many she cared about here, but he needed to be in good condition.

Maduke just _ran_ into the nearby woods until he stumbled over a protruding root and landed flat on his stomach, face first in the dirt.

"Maduke..." She crouched next to him. This was... difficult. He actually seemed to have _liked_ that man.

For a few moments,he just laid there, heaving. "Why... Would anyone do such a thing?!"

Aris shrugged. "Some people don't actually have the mental strength to live. I suppose he ran out." For whatever reason.

"..." Why did he feel so small? Just ten minutes ago, he'd felt _great._ "I dropped my hide," he whispered.

“Yeah. Yeah you did. Do you... need anything? Maybe go splash some water in your face.” She wasn’t great at dealing with this, but...

Maduke did not really react. This was... "I don't know."

"Yeah. It's harsh." From what she'd heard. She wouldn't know, personally. She'd never been attached enough to be hurt losing someone like this.

He slowly got back up and brushed off the dirt, feeling queasy and unsure. Did he get his mother? Grandmother? Tell anyone? "I don't want to go home."

"Then don't. Not right now. Go tell... someone. That you smelled something off about the house and feel like you're not up to checking it out yourself." Fear was a natural thing, after all. "Your mother might be best for that."

He grumbled but nodded. He just needed to go and find her. The search took a while, but he found them - his mother and grandmother. And a furry toddler, maybe four in human years, enjoying a nice picnic. "Maduke!" The younger of the women smiled. "There's my big boy. What's with that sour face?"

"It's okay. I'm right here," Aris assured, letting him know that he had support from her at the very least.

His mouth opened but no sound came out - and in frustration and not being able to actually say what he had seen, he started crying instead. In anger and in shock. While his mother's initial instinct was to comfort him, the older woman, the grandmother, stopped her. "Warriors don't cry," she started sharply and moved to place her hands on his shoulders, refusing to go any further before he'd got himself back under control. "Ataata -" He hiccoughed, face flushed. This was horrible. He'd messed up even just telling them.

Aris snorted. "What a stupid woman. Crying is a natural reaction to a lot of things, and not all of them sad. It's just the body's way of dealing with overwhelming emotions. She might as well be telling you you shouldn't be a person."

But grandmother was the Lord and she knew what was right and good and Xanthe left, alarmed by her son being like this. Maduke pulled away too and simply followed his Anaana for just a bit before deciding he didn't want to deal with it. Smell the blood. People coming in and out to help clean up. People saying things. He didn't want to hear any of it. "Leave me alone!" The ghost woman should not see him like this either.

But of course she did not. "It's not the first time I've seen you upset like this." But the first time she'd seen him _cry_ she'd admit. "And... I don't know how to leave. I'll be quiet if you want though."

"I don't _want_ you here!" He snapped, upset, fear and hurt easily transforming into anger. Anger was easy. Aris raised an eyebrow, but stepped sideways through a tree, effectively 'disappearing'. He simply attacked another tree - screaming and crying and angry and he didn't know how to deal. He didn't have the emotional capacity. Hmm... he had difficulties expressing his emotions. Aww, poor baby. She'd hug him if she could. With that thought, she disappeared into the tree for real.


	23. Chapter 23

Silence. Maduke swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment before turning the tap off. Why had seeing this little girl touched him so much? What about her had gotten through to him? Knowing it was Aris? And then, why would he care even about that? Ugh. Still, he should go and find her. If only to let her know that it did not work. A part of him was curious whether Lunark still existed.

The halls were even emptier than before, Lunark coming up after having gotten a text. “Some random person says to tell you that your grandmother was an awful person?”

Maduke frowned. If he had seen Aris as child... did she...? Oh _shit._ "Where is everyone, anyway?" He glanced around. This was getting more than just eerie.

“‘Everyone’ is a rather wide range. They’re just going about their jobs, like usual.”

He started listing off names just to tally who was missing and it looked somber. "I'm going to Twelfth's party. We're going now."

“Okay.” If that was what he wanted to do.

On the way, almost there, he slowed. The city lights were within sight. "Lunark... While you still exist... There's something you should know." Maybe there should be at least one universe where he told her.

“Something I should know?”

"Your sire... Rasmut... Was my younger brother."

Lunark’s face froze in shock for a while before morphing to disgust. He knew. He knew _all of that_ , and yet he was _trying to court her?!_ What was _wrong_ with him?!

"I only found out recently, just to make that clear." _After_ trying to propose.

"I... okay." That made it a _bit_ better, but she was still squicked by it. "So, the random text?" Changing the subject away from this uncomfortable revelation.

"I'm going to find out about that." He continued the way and they arrived at a half empty party. Finding Aris should be easier now.

Aris just sat chatting with Ignes before noting that Maduke had come. "You're here!" She almost flew off her seat to go and hug him.

He accepted her hug, which was an unusual thing for him to do otherwise. "What was that about my grandmother?"

"I don't think she understands the basic biology behind crying. 'A warrior doesn't cry,'" she mocked. "Like she was trying to insist you couldn't even be a person. Crying doesn't only happen when you're sad. It's the body's natural response to relieve stress from any number of causes. It's unhealthy to repress it."

"I never cry though." Which definitely was a lie.

"Which might explain why you seem so stressed all the time." She giggled.

"I am _not_ stressed, _Temperance._ " He remembered exactly when Neith had seen it. What Aris knew was so infinitely more personal than the bit he'd seen.

She frowned. "So, my background then?" He knew her deadname, but what had he seen?

"Looked like an average evening of you reading anatomy books while your father was screaming at your mother."

Aris nodded. "Yeah, sounds about right for them. Don't call me 'Temperance' though. She's been dead for decades."

Maduke nodded. "Those hallucinogens didn't help at all." He groaned in frustration. "I'll go and try to contact Lagus now. Fifth, make sure nothing happens to Aris."

"... Right." How did Aris know so much? That was... not okay at all. She was going to die like that. She knew things about Second that even _Lunark_ didn't know.

Aris simply hummed. But this was probably helpful in some way, right? "I totally think he seems pretty stressed, don't you agree?"

"... Possibly. Let's go talk somewhere private." She at least deserved the warning.

"Okay!" Aris just followed.

Once they were somewhere 'safe-ish' she spoke again. "You should be careful around him."

"Huh?" She tilted her head questioningly. "You mean Maduke?"

"Yes, I mean Maduke. You already have more information than he's comfortable with. That means he's likely to dispose of you whenever... whatever is happening that's keeping you alive right now is done."

"No." She giggled. And yet... her head ached as if... as if something _stirred_ inside of her. "He wouldn't. He's going to marry me when this whole time thing is resolved. You'll see."

"Marry you? He's a womaniser. He's been asking me to marry him for the past few _months_. All while sleeping with my ex-girlfriend." She shook her head. "And he doesn't like humans like that." What reason would Maduke possibly have for being with one? Love? Lunark honestly doubted he was capable of it.

"...." Aris blinked. This was not the first time they were having this conversation. She had been warned before. Fourth had... She swallowed. "... Marry... you?"

"Yeah. And I just found out today that he's my uncle. So..." Her face twisted. "Not that I wanted to marry him anyway. He's not my type. But he wouldn't quit harassing me over this all the same."

"... So... you must be species C. They are not extinct. Maduke's not the last?" Lunark was definitely not a species B, obviously. And if she was not human... And she was too strong to be species D.

Lunark blinked. "No, werewolves are not extinct," she confirmed. It wasn't like the woman had much longer to live either way. "He's just our leader."

"Oh." The sound she made was tiny. He was indeed more than just a werewolf prince. He was more of a king, then. Like the noble Lord. "... Why didn't he... ever tell me?"

“Why would he?” Aris was just a tool meant to be disposed of when she was no longer useful. As it was, her knowledge appeared to be fast outstripping her usefulness anyway.

"... No. He's not... We will sort this out, I will get this dagger, and we _will_ get married. No."

“Need I remind you that he’s _still_ sleeping with my ex-girlfriend?”

"..." Aris' lower lip quivered. "If I'm going to die at his hands, I'll die loving him." And it was horrible. He was just another man. Like any other.

Lunark’s face warped into something like pity. “If that is what you want, I suppose.”

She simply turned away sharply and ran off towards her room. This was.... SO HUMILIATING! Lunark sighed, following. She had a task to do. Even if Aris wanted to be alone, Lunark could at least guard the door.

After talking to Lagus, who agreed to get going and find them here, Maduke set out to look for Aris - and found Lunark in front of her door. Huh. Lunark just stared stony-faced ahead. “She wants to be alone right now, I think.”

"What did you do this time?"

“What do you mean ‘this time’? All I did was tell her what she wanted wasn’t possible.” Not for Maduke.

"Get out of my sight. First thing I'm doing when this whole shit is over is firing and exiling you."

“She deserved to know she should escape, if she wants to live.” She frowned, but left all the same. It wasn’t her fault she’d tried to save Aris.

Maduke opened the door and stepped in. "Aris..?"

The sobs quieted to a hiccough, her face buried in a pillow. The person she didn’t want to see most right now. “I’m fine.” No. She wasn’t. She hadn’t experienced heartbreak like this since... well. Since she was still Temperance.

"You're a better liar than that." Maduke sat down on the edge of the bed. "Lunark is... one of the last people you should ask about who I am."

“So you don’t even have faith in your _first choice_ of wife then.” You didn’t ask someone personally what they thought of themselves. You asked the people around them.

"No. I never liked her in particular. But she has strong blood. Well. Now that I know what I know no wonder she does... but before I found out... I only knew that she would make a _worthy_ wife. Regardless of how I feel about her."

And she was worthy because she was a werewolf. Lunark had very clearly pointed out that he would never consider a human wife. And... well. It wasn’t like talking to his past self didn’t confirm that. Maduke didn’t have many friends. None of them were human. Aris just buried her face back into the pillow, thankful that her mascara was run-proof.

He placed a hand on Aris' side. "What did she tell you?"

“Nothing that I shouldn’t have already guessed. Of course you’re just a man.” Just like all the others. She’d just wanted to believe he was different.

He fell silent and simply laid down next to her. And after a few minutes... "I wonder if somewhere, in another timeline, the you I met still exists. Whether that You will remember my words and your promise."

“Promise?”

"Yes. I asked you to promise me something."

Did she even want to know? “You don’t have to worry. I’ll have Lagus seal this memory away. I don’t want it. Just like I didn’t want the last time Lunark warned me.”

He brushed her hair aside. "I told you to fight tooth and claw to survive and get out on top, no matter what it takes. And to find me again."

That brought a bit of warmth to her heart, causing her to clutch her pillow tighter. But... did that really change anything? He wanted to see her, but... was she what he wanted? His first choice, something he realised he needed? Or was he just securing a toy, a consolation prize? It could be either with someone like him. “As I said, you don’t need to worry. I’ll have Lagus remove this memory. If...” She frowned. “If you want me dead after all this, there’s really nothing I can do to stop you. But I’d rather think I can trust you instead of being paranoid. So...” She wouldn’t tell him how she felt. That would just give him ammunition.

"It's why I want you to leave the union and continue your science with Lagus instead."

“I’m not gonna tell anyone anything, even if I stayed. You know that, right? I don’t want to do anything that would hurt you.”

"I sentenced my own brother to die because he wouldn't side with me. I'm not the trusting or forgiving type. I'm a pretty sick fuck, really. I hurt people. Emotionally. Physically. Any way I can. I do it for fun sometimes."

Maybe that was what was wrong with him? Then... “You’d never trust I was telling the truth no matter what I said, huh?”

"I _believe_ you." But trust came from the heart and his was small and crippled.

“I’m not going to jump through hoops to prove I love you.” She slowly sat up. “But I do love you. And I don’t want that to be tainted by these negative feelings. And that’s why... that’s why I’m going to have Lagus take them away.”

He sat up along with her and an array of complex emotions flashed over his face- her words had _touched_ something deep down inside. "How can you say that? Did you not just hear what I said? I am the worst person who ever lived!"

“I hardly think anyone here in the Union has room to judge,” she deadpanned. “I kidnap and experiment on hot men as both a job and a hobby, for example.”

" _Why_?" He never really understood why. "What makes you do the things you do?"

"Why do you do the things you do?" She countered. "It's enjoyable, right?"

"... I want to feel whole," he whispered. "I am looking for something to fill the void in my chest."

She shrugged. "I stopped caring about doing that a long time ago. There are some things that just can't be fixed." And so she'd killed that broken girl, become a goddess in her stead.

"I am tired of it. There's _nothing_ where my soul should be."

"... Have you ever been in love before?" Would that help?

"I don't know. I've had girlfriends." Who all hadn't lasted particularly long.

Aris sighed and shifted to straddle him, running her hands through his hair. "Then love me." Her words were an earnest murmur. "Love _me_. Forget about everything else. I don't care what you've done. Or what you will do. As long as you love me, me, and no one else."

Maduke barked out a laugh. “You really want that, don’t you?” Insane. She was absolutely insane, and possibly just as fucked up as he was.

"I want _you._ Second Elder or not. Werewolf or not. Lord or not. Strip that all away, and let me have everything else. Love me, and _I_ will make you whole."

“Fine. Make me love you, Doll.” He doubted it was possible. But Aris was adorable.

Aris giggled and ground against him as she placed a kiss against his mouth. "Forget all the other women you had. They were just whores. None loved you like I do. Like I will. So just... forget about them."

"Like I bother remembering them anyway." He rolled her over. Perhaps... now was a good time to check just how sturdy her new bond with Lagus had made her.

He really was a monster - but the monster Aris had lost her heart to. The world outside no longer mattered. This universe was falling apart anyway - who could tell how much longer they would even still exist?


	24. Chapter 24

It was only the next morning that they actually left the room - because Lagus had finally made it to the villa. "Lagus." Maduke had not even buttoned up his shirt yet. Why bother? Half the guests had disappeared anyway by now. Literally.

"Maduke... so, you're one of the bondeds I mysteriously have now. And another is here as well?"

"Yes. Aris." He nodded and quickly summarised what had happened so far - including their bonds, their vision, the fact that people went missing and their hallucinogenic experiments. "... I probably should have offered you tea _before_ all that, huh?"

"Yes... that would have been..." He rubbed his temples. "And when chasing this vision of your past self, you found her instead?"

"... .Yes. And she found me."

"And how are you handling that?"

"I don't think I'm comfortable with that," he conceded and ran a hand over his face while Aris joined them. Petite, lithe, flowing red hair, wearing a silky dressing gown. "Hello Lagus!"

Lagus raised a brow. So this was his other bonded? She was rather aesthetically pleasing. No wonder Maduke seemed to like her. "I understand that you know me already. Please understand that this is the first time we've met for me. Aris, right?"

"Yes. Uhm. Did Maduke get you up to date already?" She passed him to turn on the coffee machine. At least that did not disappear yet.

"More or less. I admit the hallucinogenic experiment was brilliant on your part. I take it the next try is anti-hallucinogens? Or are you two seeking out a new method?"

Maduke let out a tired sigh. "I know this is going to sound pretty insane but.... what if this is happening precisely _because_ we both are pretty horrible people?"

Lagus tapped his fingers together. "It's a possibility. Given the circumstances, I'd say that what is happening is that you are being pushed to find out what makes you horrible, and remedy it."

Maduke groaned. "I've _always_ been like this, though. That's just who I am. I can't just turn into a whole other person!"

Lagus sighed. "It's not _changing who you are_ , necessarily. But people generally don't get the levels of horrible we've seen without some underlying trauma. Deal with the trauma, maybe some of the behaviours will curb naturally."

"I don't _have_ any trauma," he insisted. He was just like that by nature.

"You weren't really nice to your peers," Aris stated. "But not... _awful_. What happened? After... your father died?"

Maduke huffed. This was... not even something Lagus knew. Was this the day Aris had seen? This one, out of all days? "We buried him next to my uncle and cousins and I went on my trial of adhulthood as planned."

"No break?" Aris asked. For grieving.

"What break? I went in the woods for a week." That was hardly labour or anything.

"Did you cry or did you bottle it up?"

"I'm not bottling up anything!", he snapped defensively. "And what about _your_ trauma?"

She frowned. "I wouldn't begin to know how to deal with that. As far as I'm concerned, the person who went through all that is dead."

"The person who got all that trauma is not dead. You can never really leave behind who you were. Whatever Temperance Reese suffered, Aris suffered too."

Aris hummed. "If you say sooo~"

"What makes you do the things you do? What do you crave above everything else in this world?"

What she craved. "You're getting entirely too personal. And I already know what I want is impossible."

"Oh and talking about _my_ shit is not too personal?! Miss 'just love me and then the universe won't collapse'?" His voice shot up in a falsetto to badly mimic her.

"I've already told you my whole life story! What more do you want from me Mr. 'I don't trust anyone and won't share anything'!?"

"What do you want?! What do you want me to share? That I smashed my first girlfriend's head with a stone? That I plotted the murder of my Lord and started the crusades for that shit? Do you want me to share how I sentenced my brother to death and exiled my mother or how I kept a woman political prisoner for the past eight hundred years and forced her to carry several children because I can't resist playing God like that?! Oh believe me. I got nothing to share that anyone would _want_ to hear!"

Lagus’s brow raised at that. Holy shit. Aris just continued. “And you don’t think any of _those_ could be a further source of trauma? That being fucking awful isn’t only harmful to your victims? You’re just deflecting!”

"Then what is it you do? How is what we do all that different?!"

“I’ve never denied what I do. I just don’t care. My babies are sacrifices for the betterment of humanity. The difference is, you hurt people precious to you. I’ve never cared about anyone enough to get that attached. Not since becoming me.”

"Nothing is precious to me. This whole universe can burn for all I care!"

“So you _don’t_ love your mother? Even though she treated you well and loved you?”

"Last time I checked she's been telling everyone I'm dead!"

“And that somehow invalidates past feelings?!”

”Why don’t you two take a break for a moment?” Lagus suggested.

Both turned to glare at Lagus. It had gotten... rather heated.

“Now, what I’m about to suggest might sound... unorthodox, but I’m actually going to prescribe more psilocybins. You are supposed to help each other somehow, but neither of you understand each other enough to do it. Or otherwise don’t care.” Ah. These two idiots.

"So more hallucination trips?", Maduke questioned. "Back to ghost adventures?"

“Back to ghost adventures,” he confirmed.

"Fuck." He pinched the bridge of his nose. But fine.

“If nothing else, you’d catch a break for a while. It won’t be _your own_ issues you’re working through. But your partner’s.” And maybe they’d learn a little about themselves by empathising with their partner. Well. One could hope. The universe did count on it.

Maduke grumbled. "We're sort of running out of options at this rate anyway, aren't we?"

Lagus nodded. “Unfortunately.”

"So hallucinogens it is. Last time, we used a specific mushroom of my people that we outlawed for... obvious reasons, about two thousand years ago."

“I have _plenty_ ,” Lagus assured. “And can find some if we run out.”

Maduke nodded. "Last time, we died during our trips."

“This time, you’ll have me to watch you. You should never use alone, you know.”

"Okay." Aris giggled. "I suggested we take turns but..."

“It’s okay. I know how he can be.” He reached over to pat her head. “Anyhow. Are there any labs nearby in case I need emergency access to medical equipment for you two?”

"Uhm. I do have a small one in the basement, for check-ups."

“All right. We’ll go there then.” He rose.

Aris nodded and led the way. It was fine. Temperance was _gone_ and it didn't matter what would happen. What Maduke might see. That girl was gone. The laboratory was clean and neat, but modest in equipment. Clearly more for checkups than anything.

“This will suffice.” From one of his sleeves, he brought out some psilocybins. “I will be the one measuring these out. I know the dose for humans. We’ll find the proper one for werewolves as well. Aris, I want you to remember the dosage for future reference in case time resets again.”

"... Why do you just carry them with you?", Maduke questioned.

“I put them in my sleeve when you made the call. Along with the antihallucinogens.” He shook out a bottle of pills as well. “You _did_ mention them, so I prepared for both possibilities.”

"Ah." Maduke nodded slowly.

“That and I carry around the psilocybins as a matter of course. It’s great fun to occasionally spike Urokai’s drinks with some.”

Alright then. Aris chuckled. "Uhm. I sliced off like.... A tiny itsybitsy bit of the mushrooms. Like. I was trying to go for a hundredth."

“That’s about right for most. I don’t know about the ones where Maduke lives, however.”

"Just whatever she is having times hundred," Maduke deadpanned.

Lagus nodded. “Worth a shot. I could also just try giving you the standard noble dose and increasing from there.”

"Whatever works." He waved his hand dismissively.

After some experiments, it started to work - and he slowly drifted off. The sink remained the sink. But the decorative little plant turned into... A retching girl on the bathroom floor, bent over the toilet. Oh no. Temperance laid her head on the seat, sobbing and giving no care to how unhygienic it was. She was too miserable to. It wasn’t the right time of year for a stomach bug, and if it was food poisoning, her parents would be ill too. Maduke cleared his throat. Right. He remembered what Aris had told him. That was... Fuck. She really still looked like a child. She turned, looking up at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Her prince had come back? But why now? Why _here_?

"Here I am again. Time traveling." He crouched down next to her.

Her brow knitted. “This is an _awful_ time you came to.”

"Worse than you can imagine," he confirmed. Just great. He absolutely wasn't equipped for this.

“I can imagine just fine.” She hit the plunger to get rid of the ‘proof’. “All my biology texts say I’m likely...” She bit her lip.

"And here I hoped I would be in time to warn you."

“Warn me?”

"Against falling for old men. You're almost still a child yourself. You should be playing with dolls or something."

Her hands clenched the seat. “At least _someone_ cares.”

"No use crying over spillt milk. That's the saying, right? Listen. You'll need a doctor who knows their stuff."

“How am I going to tell my parents? I can’t go see a doctor without them. And... and God says you’re not supposed to have babies unless you have a husband.” So they’d be _very_ upset.

Maduke rubbed his chin. "You _need_ a doctor. Your life will depend on it."

“My life?” Her brow furrowed.

"... Sometimes things go wrong. I. Uh. Have not understood _exactly_ what adult future you said, but.." He shuffled. Great. "Everything will be alright in the end. But the next couple of years will be... difficult."

Her hand flew to her stomach. “What’s wrong with my baby?!”

"If I understand right, it didn't go where it's supposed to, got stuck and will grow where it'll be a danger for both of you."

“What?” She looked absolutely _devastated_ by that news.

"So you'll need a doctor who will find that and make sure nothing happens to you."

“I...” She burst into tears, completely unable to handle this stress at all. Not only was he confirming that she _was_ pregnant, and her parents were definitely going to hate that, but there was something wrong with it?! How awful could things get?!

Maduke sighed and sat next to her, leaning his back against the bathroom wall. Unfortunately, when he tried to place a hand against her back, it just went right through her, though. Eventually, she calmed again, having run out of tears. “I’ll...” She sniffled. “I’ll have to tell my parents.” On unsteady legs, she stood. She was scared, but what other option did she have? Either she told them and they _maybe_ got her help, or she didn’t and died anyway.

"I am here." He stood up as well. "But before you go..."

“Before I go?”

"Tell me about the man who did it. What happened?"

“I... he said if I loved him, I’d do what he told me to.”

" _Who_ is he?"

“He’s the leader of my church choir,” she admitted.

"Marvellous. And do you love him?"

She hesitated, but nodded. It was the only way to _be_ loved, right?

"No." Maduke raised an index finger. "You don't. You are scared of him. And he said he was going to hurt you if you don't do what he asks of you."

“Wha?” He was asking her to lie about it? She was good at it by now, but...

"Yes. He kept making inappropriate comments and looks, but he is a man with the church, so you did not want to talk badly about one of your elders. And then he asked you to do things. And you knew they were wrong, but you were afraid."

“O-okay.” She nodded. He seemed to know what he was talking about.

"They might not believe you fully. Or this lie might not matter. But it's better than the truth." Oh stupid little girl. She really had messed up, the poor little thing. "I am by your side."

“Thank you.” She smiled genuinely at him as she headed downstairs, hoping that her father wasn’t in a bad mood today.


	25. Chapter 25

Her father was, unfortunately, in a rather bad mood - having a beer as he watched TV while, in the background, his wife set the dinner table. "Temperance. You look a little pale," she noted.

“Um. Yes. I... have something to tell you.” If she waited, would things be better?

"Yes? Set the table while telling." Then she could catch a quick break.

“Okay Mama.” She started getting the plates, setting the table slowly as her thoughts consumed her. “I think... that I might be pregnant...” She said just as slowly. “My books say my sickness matches up.”

"What?" She almost dropped the casserole dish.

Temperance didn’t look at her mother, didn’t want to repeat herself. She was afraid to. Her mother might be understanding, but her father…

"Gary..." Her voice was small, but enough for Temperance's father to turn around to look at them. "What is it, Judith?"

Temperance placed the last plate, backing up from the table some. This was... her father was going to be _so angry_. She looked around the room, searching for her prince.

Maduke stood by the wall, but seeing her to look for him, he came closer, standing by her side.

“Daddy. My books say I might be pregnant.” She braced herself for the inevitable slap she’d get for even saying such a thing.

He stared at her for a few seconds - and then, actually did move in - and even though Maduke's hand shot forward to stop him, he only reached through and Gary slapped his daughter. "You are _what_ you miserable little whore?!"

“You say that like I wanted this!” Tears already welled in her eyes.

"You didn't?" He snapped back accusatorily.

“No! I was scared.” She cried.

Judith stepped closer to reach for her daughter. "What happened?"

Temperance _poured her heart out_ on her sob story. How her choir instructor had looked at her. How uncomfortable it had made her. How she was scared to back-talk a church elder, even though she knew it was wrong.

Judith seemed to feel sympathy for her daughter - this was a pain all women knew. It had not been much different for her. Gary ran his hand over his red face. This was ... shit. "We'll make him take responsibility for this."

“You will?” But... she shuffled. “The angel who came to comfort me said I can’t carry the baby. It implanted wrong and won’t grow. It’ll hurt both of us as it tries.”

"What?"

“I _can’t_ stay pregnant. I’ll die. I was warned by a messenger of God himself!” She claimed.

"You're not going to worm yourself out of this!" He snapped at her. "You'll marry this man and save our honour. Everything else is up to God."

Her face fell. He... really didn’t care. It didn’t matter to him that she was going to die? She looked to the floor. “Yes Daddy.”

"Off to your room with you. Someone who takes the Lord's name in vain-" He shook his head. As if his daughter, this useless wretch, would be visited by an angel of the Lord!

She bit her lip, heading upstairs. That could have gone better. But at least it wasn’t worse. Her prince’s words really had worked.

Maduke followed her quietly, and under his breath, muttered: "Your father is definitely worse than mine."

“... I wish they’d believed me on the angel thing. You’re close enough, right?”

He laughed. Oh how wrong she was. "I am an awful person. But I like you. And in another world, hopefully the adult you is helping out little me just as I am trying to help you right now."

“I’m sure I will!” She liked him too!

"That's where you travelled to. And now we travel again.... because we only met in the future. When we would have needed each other's help earlier."

“Earlier?” She could be with him sooner? Her prince? She... she loved her instructor, but a _prince_ was so much better!

"... I'm afraid you weren't born yet when I needed you." He actually looked saddened. But _he_ could help her. "You should-" His voice gave in.

“I should?” What should she do?

"... You should-" Again, he could only _croak._ Why? If she turned to Lunark... to Third... Fourth... they were people who would help her. Lagus. Anyone.

“... Is it a time travel thing? Can you not say?”

"... Maybe I cannot change... the past. What happened to you. What is going to happen. Maybe I can only stand by your side as it unfolds."

“Oh.” That made as much sense as anything. “Like the science fiction novels.”

He actually growled at that. "I would rather change it. I would protect you, and tell you where to find protection. I would... I don't know. But I cannot change the past."

That actually made her flush happily. Did he love her? Is that why he wanted to protect her? He spoke differently than her baby’s father did. Earnest. Didn’t put expectations on her. “I appreciate the thought!” She giggled, sounding for all the world like her future self for just a moment.

It brought a brief smile to his face. "Your acting was good. At least they won't blame you entirely."

She smiled. “If... I’m still likely to survive, right? If I’m still alive where you came from.” So... “I’ll still need a doctor at some point, but...”

"You said that it was detected too late and almost cost you your life."

“Oh.” Her voice was small. “How would they find that anyway? It’s not like you can just look inside someone’s womb and see how the baby is doing.”

Maduke shrugged. "No idea. I am not a doctor. I am a politician of sorts."

“Oh...” So... she brought her legs up to her knees. “I’m not going to have a choice then. I’m going to have to almost die because no one is going to let me get rid of the baby without proof that it’s bad.”

Maduke sighed. "That's fucked up." He was glad he did not have to bother with this. "Maybe if you find a really good one... if you tell you worry about this being a problem..."

“I’ll try,” she promised. It was all she could do.

"I can't believe they're still making you marry him." Maduke shook his head. "But I guess I really can't change the past after all."

“No. The same thing happened to Mama. No pregnancy, but she had to marry Daddy because her parents picked him out for her too.”

"They're useless bums both."

“Yeah,” she agreed.

"..." He sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. "... Are you sad? About the baby?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I thought... maybe I'd have someone to love who would definitely love me. And how could they not? That's what children do, right? Love their mothers?"

"Is that what it's all about? Love?"

"... I'm being stupid again, aren't I?"

"I guess we all have... that _one_ thing we want more than anything else. Something we will do _anything_ for."

"... What's it for you?"

"... I guess I felt like something is missing my whole life." He shrugged. "And I made a lot of mistakes chasing things I thought would complete me."

"The fairy tales all say it's love, you know?"

A bitter laugh. "I guess so. But that's an issue for future you. The current you is a girl who needs to focus on surviving."

“Yeah.” She shuffled. “Hey. Why are you helping me anyway? Even if I’m supposed to help you...”

"I don't know. Maybe because I can't go on like this. Maybe because helping you... is the only thing I can do, right now."

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to think of that. Didn’t know what that meant.

"That's not _your_ worry, though." He reached out as though he meant to pet her head, though again, his hand went right through her.

“... It kinda tingles when you do that.”

"It's not nothing, I guess." A weak chuckle. "Don't worry. You'll be okay."

She nodded. If he said so, then he was probably right. He was nice. “... I think I’d like marrying you more than Mr. Carson.”

"I'd hope so. That man is a good for nothing cunt who only feels man enough to fumble on little girls."

“‘M not ‘little’,” she flushed and looked away. “I’m told I’m very mature for my age.”

"That's what they all say." Maduke shook his head. "It'll take a long time before people truly realise your worth. Your talent.”

Worth... did she really have any? Or talent for that matter? He kept saying she did, but... her anatomy books, right? She should study more. Hopefully her husband would be good to her and let her stay in school.

"You should get rest." The coming weeks wouldn't be easy on her.

She nodded, laying down. “I wish I hadn’t been sent to bed without dinner again.” But she was used to it by now. It happened at least once a week.

"Just hold out. Your time to shine will come."

He kept saying that and kept saying that. Maybe... it was something okay to believe. “Yeah.” She nestled under her bedcovers. After a few moments, he began humming. An old werewolf lullaby. When no one else was there. And as he sang Aris to sleep, his present self sat on the table and hummed a toaster to sleep. The experiment was going well so far.

“Huh.” Lagus noted. “Well, he seems okay. Six hundred milligrams, Aris.”

“Got it!” She wrote it down in the notebook. “My turn?” That was... so _sweet!_ She loved him even more.

"Yes. I'll make sure you both stay in this state. It seems pretty productive on him at least." More importantly... Lagus could feel that his very soul was ... Somewhere. Only half here.

“He’s singing a lullaby, I think! It’s adorable!” She giggled, a happy flush on her face. And his gestures!

"Yes. Well. Here's yours." They had just followed Maduke around. Now it would be a bit more difficult to babysit both.

“Of course!” Fifteen milligrams of concentrated psilocybin. One of the highest doses for a human her size, but it would be fine.


	26. Chapter 26

Aris took the substance - and after a while, she, too, found herself in wonderland. By a rivulet, kneeling in the grass by the shore. Not too far, a woman's voice could be heard, speaking to a whole gathering of people. Colourful werewolves, wearing their ceremonial clothes.

Oh! Everyone was so pretty naturally! She’d had to artificially change Kranz and Takeo’s hair colour with genetic manipulation of their hair follicles. But here... She walked around a bit. Maduke was the important thing.

He stood with a girl, late teens, and held a toddler. Serious face, forcefully devoid of emotion. But his eyes betrayed his turmoil. And he looked up. The ghost woman was back.

Aris just smiled, coming to stand behind him. This was her job, right? “It’s okay. I’m here for you.”

He reacted with a tiny growl as they lowered the bundle of leather and linen into a hole in the ground. His father. His grandmother stood and officiated - clearly, she was someone of very high standing. An older man came up to place his arms around Maduke and the girl. Greying hair - likely their grandfather. Sometime during the ceremony, Maduke set the toddler down and turned to leave - he shrugged off all hands that reached for him. He was too upset to continue.

Aris followed. What was he doing? He simply sat down under one of the ancient trees and pulled his knees to his chest. Not crying and working very hard on keeping it that way. Aris sat next to him. “It’s okay to cry, you know.”

"I'm not crying!" He growled.

“I didn’t say you were. The opposite, in fact.”

"And I'm not going to! I'm the man now. I'm strong."

“You don’t have to be weak to cry. And no one else has to know. I cry all the time! And I’m one of the strongest humans there is!”

"You don't get it! It's _weak_ and I'm not weak! If anyone's weak, it's _him._ " He nodded at the funeral gathering.

She nodded. “Agree to disagree on crying being weak, I suppose. I don’t think you have the life experience right now to know the truth of that matter. Your grandmother likely said what she did because she thought it was something minor. Like a sprained ankle. This is very different.”

"You don't even know me." So she should stop acting like she knew what was good for him.

She giggled. “Do you really think I don’t? We’re lovers. The future you, anyway.”

"Then tell future me to cry like a little bitch or something."

“I’ve held you when you were upset before.”

"What was I upset about?"

“Time-space is falling apart. Zaiga, a friend of yours, stopped existing.”

"Zaiga? The guy who's always hanging around Nayeli?"

She nodded. She didn’t know who Nayeli was, but. “Yes. You were rather close the times I’ve met him. And then, poof. He’s cut from future time loops and no one remembers him but us. Like he never was there to begin with.”

"That sounds whack," he mumbled.

“It is,” she admitted. “But that’s not the point. The point is that I’m here for you. No matter what.”

"You're a ghost. You can't do anything "

“Excuse you! The heck I can’t! I can _love_ you no matter how incorporeal I am!” She pouted, blowing out her cheeks. “I can’t believe you’d say that!”

"No offense. But being popular with older ghost women isn't bringing back my father," he deadpanned.

“Be honest, do you even _want_ him back? I killed mine!”

Maduke just picked up a pebble and chucked it right through her. This was downright creepy! "Leave me alone!"

She frowned. “What. It’s not like future you hasn’t done worse.” A sudden torrent soaked her. “What in the?!”

The boy giggled and stuck out his tongue. That was funny! She totally had that coming.

She huffed and crossed her arms. “Anyhow, I’m supposed to help you. So find me something to help you with, I guess. Anything. Even if it’s just listening.”

"Says who?" He huffed and puffed up his cheeks, turning away.

“Says the future you! I promised him I’d help you!”

"Nah. Future me would send someone less shitty."

She swallowed. Maduke... She’d never be good enough for anyone would she? Maduke who had been so, _so_ sweet to her past self, and here she couldn’t even get an edge in to try and help him. “It’s not a matter of you choosing me. The universe isn’t giving you another choice.” No. Maduke... really would send someone else, wouldn’t he?

"I don't _want_ help. I don't _need_ help. I want my father back!" His voice was dangerously thin.

“Why do you even want him back?! What makes you like him?! Everything you’ve said has indicated you think he deserved what happened! You’re the one who called him weak!”

"He is!" He snapped. "And I'm not. I'll _never_ be like him!" He stood up, gesturing at the group of werewolves. "I'm going to be stronger than he could ever hope to be!" And he didn't mean just on body, but in mind too.

“Tell me then. If crying is weakness... did you ever once see your father cry?” He simply picked up another stone to throw at the ghost lady. “That’s a ‘no’ then. Thought so. Your father died because he’s shitty at handling his own emotions and had no healthy outlet for it. Do you wanna be the same?”

"I told you I'm NOT going to be the same!" His face reddened in anger. But oh, he's had an outlet. His whole life, he's had it: anger.

“Oh!” She giggled, circling him. “You currently cope by getting angry. That’s not very mentally healthy.”

"Fuck you!" He growled, tail swishing in annoyance. Fine. He'd just go back to the others where she would, hopefully, stop annoying him. Angrily, he stomped towards his family.

Aris just followed. “I wasn’t lying about caring about you. I really don’t think you’re going about dealing with this the right way. Nothing can bring your father back. But you can choose how you cope with it. If you’re just angry at him... do you really think you’ll ever _stop_ being angry?” Is that how he wanted to live?

He wished he could make the ghost woman disappear. He did not _want_ to hear any of this. "Are you okay?" Xanthe questioned the second Neith declared this as officially over. "You're -"

"Yes, anaana." It came out as a little growl. He was more than just grumpy.

She sighed. “This time I’m not leaving until I figure out how to help you. I hope you understand that.”

"An annoying ghost is harassing me," he whispered to everyone's confusion.

She huffed. “Fine! Call me annoying! Call me whatever you want! I’m not leaving you! You’re _my_ boyfriend and I promised to help you!”

He'd. He'd have to ignore her. He stuck to his mother and sister while his grandmother approached. "You held together well," she praised both him and his sister.

Aris stepped closer to Maduke, hugging him. “You did,” Aris praised as well. Maybe the old carrot and stick method?

It tingled when the ghost tried to touch him. Ehw. He squirmed a little to show that even the not really touch was too personal for him. "I'm doing my trial," he announced with grim determination.

“Your adulthood trial?” Aris asked.

"You just had an awful loss," Xanthe insisted and crouched down. "You don't need to-"

"No. I _want_ to do it. I can do it. With or without him!"

Ah, yes. Because going on his trial would solve _everything_. Aris knew damn well letting him go without support was a bad idea. So she’d come along. Even if he hated her, at least future him seemed to like her, even if it was just a little bit.

Neith placed a hand on Xanthe's back. "Alright. You need space. We will give you space. We will proceed as planned. Is that what you want?"

"Yes." He nodded again. He wanted to be left _alone_ more than anything.

“So, when do you leave then?” Aris asked.

"... I wanna go earlier." He wanted to get away as soon as possible. The old man, his grandfather, frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea." But Maduke was Maduke, and he was used to getting his way - he would leave tomorrow.

Well. That was... interesting, to say the least. But then, Lagus remembered what a little shit Maduke could be, even once he became a diplomat. Perhaps Aris would have more luck later. Maduke... seemed fine. He'd gone comatose for a while, but his vitals were good. He'd be ready for another round soon.

Once Maduke was back on psilocybin, he found himself in another bathroom - that of a small church, modestly decorated. A few people... and the bride. Very modest in a white dress that did not even fit her ideally. And if he had not seen her at home, he would not even be able to tell who was the groom and who was the bride. Since she was with people though... he simply stayed to the sides.

Temperance did not look particularly happy for someone getting married. She didn't look particularly unhappy either, but... The groom definitely didn't seem happy about what was going on. Noticing her prince off to the side brought a genuine smile to her lips though.

He gave a nod to acknowledge her - he was there, even if the timing was inconvenient. Ah, poor child. Now that she had a husband, though, useless as he was... He took the time to look around and see if he found anything interesting.. and oh, he did. Aris was not exactly alone, but she did not need to answer. "... I don't like the idea of him touching you. Do you see that woman with the blue blouse? I saw pills in her handbag. Which she leaves unattended. How about you bring your _darling husband_ a glass of wine?"

Drug him? She could do that. It was her prince saying that, after all. She casually stood, nabbing the pills as she walked by without even questioning what they were, performing a bit of sleight of hand to slip one in a wine glass. "Here you go, Freddie! You look a little thirsty!"

"I needed that." He grabbed the glass and almost downed it right away. Maduke snickered. He did not know _what_ they were, but sure as hell, he hoped that Aris would get out of some wifely duties now.

Temperance just smiled. "I can get another if you need!" She hugged him, playing the picture-perfect wife in love. Even if she already had someone better. Just wait it out. Survive. And she'd get the one she _needed_. The one who _really_ made her feel loved.

Within half an hour, Alfred Carson was fast asleep - and everyone just shook their head at that. Some made jokes and quips, others actually tried to _console_ the poor bride over her husband really starting out their marriage like that. Most importantly though, he definitely would not be touching her tonight. Maduke snickered next to her. "Not bad, huh?"

She giggled. "It's okay. I could use some rest for the baby," she assured those who consoled her. "It's not that bad." She... actually didn't enjoy doing that all that much. But sometimes you had to do what you had to do.

"And if we danced?" Maduke suggested. Sure, he was an awful dancer, but who saw him except her? And she could use some cheering up.

She nodded, rising. A dance would be _wonderful!_ She didn't even care if anyone thought she was odd for it.

Temperance was young, beautiful, pregnant and her husband was fast asleep - no one faulted her for trying to dance and have fun on her wedding regardless. And Maduke danced with her, even if he could not really touch her. He could at least try.

While he and Temperance danced away, Lagus got to observe his old friend just dancing through the living room. Oh if only he had something to record their antics. He should check on Aris next and make sure she was still in it.


	27. Chapter 27

Aris quietly followed Maduke through the woods, noting his every action. He would not be here alone, no matter how hard he tried.

In the mountaneous regions, he found a little cavity he could use for shelter - and judging by the smooth ground, he was not the only young werewolf who'd had the same idea. With a huff, he sat down. Just for a bit, he'd sit before getting to work.

“What are you doing?” Aris asked conversationally. It _was_ interesting, after all.

Ah. Great. Ghost lady. "Taking a break."

“Breaks are good. Got a battle plan for the trial?” This was kind of exciting. A ritual of her cute prince’s people.

"I gather some wood, make a fire. Find water. Find a good stone. Sharpen it. Hunt my prey."

Nothing too difficult. “So the main bit is the hunt, then? And making a weapon?”

"It's about showing you can fend for yourself and not just survive like an animal."

“I see...” It would be interesting to see what all that entailed.

"I'll have to skin my prey and make a cloak." So finding food and shelter, making tools, hunting and clothing yourself. Civilised skills needed to survive by yourself.

“What kind of cloak are you going for?”

"I don't know. Probably deer hide. Maybe I'll add rabbit lining if I get bored."

“A sound plan.” It sounded so simple.

"And I wann be alone." Right now he really sounded like a grieving teenager.

“Hmm. I can go maybe twenty feet away? I do still want to be nearby if you need me. Just because you’re pushing everyone away doesn’t mean you _should_ be left alone.”

"You're a _ghost._ " He sneered. "What would I need you for?"

“Someone to talk to. I’ll listen, you know. And it’s not like I can judge you or spread rumours. I _am_ a ghost. One no one else can see or hear.” She smiled smugly at that.

“I don't have anything to say." He's always been like that - grumpy, guarded, closed-off and full of anger.

“Then don’t say anything.” Duh. “I’m here for you anyway.”

"I don't get why." He shuffled closer towards the wall of the small cave, leaning his back against it.

“Because I love you, silly!” She giggled. Wasn’t that obvious?

"In the, like, friend way?"

“...” Aris raised her eyebrow. “We already went over my relationship with you, didn’t we? Though I imagine we’d be good friends if there was no attraction there. I, at least, like you for you.”

"So much you'd take off your dress?", he asked innocently. He _was_ starting to reach the age where girls were getting kind of interesting.

Aris laughed. “Yes. _For future you_. And I have. But you are just a kid. I don’t want to get arrested or something for indecent exposure to a minor.”

"Oh." He looked distinctly disappointed at that. "Akkar and Bato have seen a girl's boobs already!"

“And how old are they? And how did they see them?”

"Uhm. Akkar is ten years older than me and Bato thirty six and they got _girlfriends_! They even _make out_."

“So wait another ten years.” Easy. “You’ll have grown enough that girls your age will find you attractive.”

"I'm strong. Of course they'll like me." Again, he tried flexing his biceps. "After this trial I'll join the warrior training."

“What does it mean to be a warrior in your culture?”

"You're the best of the best. You're strong. You're honourable. You protect others. You're a _role model._ The warriors are the strongest of our people and everyone wants to be like them!"

And so, it seemed, so did he. “Sounds cool!” She encouraged.

"So. If you know what I'm like in the future..."

“I do.” She nodded.

"Am I a warrior? _Am I Lord?_ "

“Yes to both. But you have to work hard at it.”

"Yeah!" He cheered. Something good, finally! "I'll be the _best._ "

Aris giggled. “You’re cuter when you’re happy and less grumpy. Might get you some girls.”

He stuck out his tongue. "I'll be a total ladies' man."

“You managed to attract _this one_ at least!” Adorable.

"You're not bad I guess." Even if she wouldn't show him her titties.

"For a human?" Or in general?

"Well I haven't really seen many other humans..."

"You mentioned a 'Tut'. Isn't that Tutankhamun from Egypt?"

"Yes that guy! He's like a little Lord who became Lord because his father was Lord."

"I never met him in person. But we've found out a lot about him since the collapse of Egypt through the study of history. I doubt his name will ever fade from it."

"Good for him. He gave me a cool knife."

"The meteoric one, right? You've shown me."

"Meteoric? It's from the Moonmother, yeah! They say it fell from the sky."

“Yeah! When rock falls from the sky, it’s called a meteorite. They can be made up of any number of elements. The one that made your dagger is made of is iron. So we’d call that a meteoric iron dagger,” she explained.

“Cool. Why are rocks in the sky?"

“They’re not in the sky. They’re further. The moon is further than the sky as well. Same with the stars and sun. They’re just bright enough we can see them from where we are. And the moon is the closest thing to us in general and is made of rock, with the sun being the brightest star. There are other rock things throughout this beyond-sky, and we call the beyond-sky ‘space’. Other examples of big rock things... you’ve seen a red star before, right? The only bright red thing that ever crosses?” He nodded. Of course he knew the skies. “That’s actually another planet, like ours. Made of rock, not a star. Ah... there’s no life there, though. That’s a rather unique facet of here that we’ve never managed to find anywhere else.”

"... Uh. Okay." It seemed he had calmed down now, having something else to think about.

"Cool, right? There's whole other things the size of here out there, but we're still the only ones who can even explore that fact!"

"Why no?" He placed his hands around his knees.

" _Because_. We're the only known sapient species with this degree of technology. Earth is the only planet we know of that even _has_ living things on it. Despite the absolute vastness of the universe, we're still the only little pinprick capable of thinking about it."

"Of course. The moon is here. The Moonmother is here. So whatever she loves most is here too."

_Cute_. "So, this 'Moonmother' is your deity?"

"Yes. She made this world. Do you know her story?" He stood up to start gathering firewood.

Aris shook her head. "I was told quite different stories of how we came to be, I imagine."

"Ah. Well. In the beginning, the Moonmother hunted with a pack of wolves, but she was lonely and offered them the gift of the soul. Those who accepted her gift became the first werewolves. But those who, over generations, forgot where they came from, lost all the powers of the moon and became mere humans."

"Huh. My religion doesn't even include werewolves in general." Interesting though.

"Ah. The one with the bunch of gods? They think grandmother is one too."

"Um. No. Mine is called 'Christianity'. It preaches that there's only one God. And we're supposed to follow only him." What year was it? "It's... you're over three thousand, I think I was told. So." Oh. "You predate the creation of it."

"There _is_ only one. The Moonmother." So this 'Christianity' was on a not too bad track already.

"... It's... not like that. He's supposed the one who made _everything_. And everyone says he's a man."

"Nu-uh. The Moonmother made everything and she's a woman. It's why women give birth."

"I never said I _believed_ my religion. This is just what it says." She huffed. "I know it well. My parents were _fanatics_."

"Okay." He picked up some more wood before turning to head back to the cave. "What do you believe in, then?"

“What I can observe. Things like gods can never be disproven, nor have any ever been proven. I can prove that I can make someone stronger by making some modifications to their nerves, however.”

"You can make people stronger?"

"Yeah. I've never worked on a werewolf before, only humans. And it usually decreases their lifespans because once you exceed a certain power cap, it starts drawing on their life energies. But I _can_ do it. I'm currently researching how to raise that power cap so that there's less risk to unlocking more power."

"Okay." He didn't really understand but okay. "The key is working hard on it."

Aris nodded and smiled. "Yes." For him, the best course would be working hard. "That's exactly what you said when I noted how nice your muscles were." She giggled.

"Obviously. It takes hundreds of years to get as strong as a warrior." He nodded.

"You'll do great."

"Yeah." He arranged the wood and focused his aura into a small flame to ignite the campfire.

"Ah!" Aris's eyes sparkled. "That's so cool!"

"That's normal." The boy sneered a little. "You humans just don't have aura."

She huffed. "I have _some_. I just don't know how to use it yet! Besides. Just because it's normal doesn't make it less cool."

"Nu-uh. Humans don't have any." He still decided to let out another aura spark in the bright green his own aura had.

Her cheeks blew out. "I've used it before! That's standard modification practice for high-quality modified humans. I'm just not good at using it, so I don't very often. And... even with that, I couldn't sense it until recently."

"Zaiga said I got _lots_ of talent with it."

"I mean. You'll be a warrior and Lord. I'd assume you would, right?"

"Yes. The Lord is always the strongest warrior. That's the only way to become Lord. Beat the strongest and stay undefeated!"

Maduke was _sooo cute_ when he was like this. Like a grumpy puppy trying to hide his excitement about something. "You'll be impressive."

He puffed out his chest. "Yeah! Hey. You'll only be my girlfriend when I'm Lord already. But I'll have girlfriends before that, right?" He actually looked a bit worried about the prospect.

“I’ve heard about a couple, yeah.” It wasn’t like they mattered. He was _hers_ now.

"Yeah!!!" He grinned. Perfectly distracted for now.

Huh. She’d found a way to deal with Maduke. Progress was progress. Well, Lagus would go see how Maduke was doing. Aris was being pretty tame right now. And she was very easy to move back into place when she went too far. Surprisingly, that didn’t seem to affect their placement in the mushroom world. Back in the living room, Maduke seemed to be comforting a couch.


	28. Chapter 28

Temperance doubled over in pain. She’d been in pain for hours now, and it had only gotten worse. Was this it? Was this when she lost them? He found himself in the Dreamworld just in time. Aris was not doing well at all, he could tell. "What's wrong?"

“It hurts...” She cried from it, holding her abdomen. Emergency services... if she called emergency services, would they save her?

"You haven't gotten rid of it yet?!"

“I couldn’t! He said he wanted the child, so...” She bit her lip. So she wasn’t allowed to even bring up that she didn’t want to do this. Despite her pain, she stood. The phone. She could call for help.

"Can you promise me another thing?"

“What... is it?” She used the walls to support herself, feeling weak.

"When all of this is over, when you saved yourself, punish him. One day, you'll have the means to do it."

She nodded, finally reaching the phone and dialing the emergency number.Maduke pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am here." At least someone was - because her useless piece of shit of a husband surely was not.

Temperance nodded again gratefully, giving the details she could before collapsing on the floor without even hanging up.

Great. He crouched down next to her, trying to keep her focus on him. Then, eventually, the ambulance arrived. Like a shadow, he followed them to be by her side. Silent, but there. The surgery took all of thirty minutes, the doctors working quickly to remove the ruptured Fallopian tube and clamp the vessel. The fetus was put in a metal tray, very clear for Maduke to see while they rushed to set up blood transfusions for the poor girl.

Oh he had seen plenty of those - not taken from fallopian tubes, but lost. Due to injury. Stress. He sure was a traumatic man who was as hostile to life as imaginable. He simply turned away. Her husband might not be here. Her parents were not here. He assumed there were no friends who could be there for her - but at least he was there. And he was still there when she woke up from the anaesthesia, alone in a room.

She came to slowly. "It's done, huh?" She felt... empty. She'd known this would happen. The pain in her side was now a dull ache, at least.

Maduke nodded sympathetically. "Now... some tough times will be ahead of you. And none of it will be your fault."

"Tough times?" More than this?

"Do you really think your good for nothing husband will be by your side when all he wants is a cute baby and a cute little girl to fondle? Do you really think your parents will be there for you? They were glad to get rid of you. But you are resourceful. You don't _need_ them. None of them did you any good, ever."

What... what would she do, then? She bit her lip. He'd never been wrong so far.Again, he tried to speak, but his voice gave in. Again, he could not actually influence the future - and strangely, he could not even tell her what she did. He frowned. "... I wanted to tell you what you did. But apparently, it's something you must figure out again yourself."

"Oh. Okay." Right. She'd figure something out.

He sat with her. "We truly met on your birthday party. And what a party it was. Everyone who mattered was there, and no expenses were spared. You probably don't even know half of the guests. You had confetti in your hair. You're respected. You're knowledgeable. You're quite powerful. You are free. And everything you have, you earned for yourself. When I met you, you had already come out on top against all odds. All by yourself."

"...I have?" And that's where they'd meet?

Maduke nodded. "Don't be afraid. Sometimes things are tough. Sometimes all we can do is bide our time until an opportunity presents itself. And that's just what life's sometimes like."

She nodded. "Work hard, and I'll meet you, right?"

"Work _smart._ " He nodded as well. "You're not made to slave away waiting on tables or selling groceries."

Right. "Anatomy, right?" He'd noted that when she was little. So she was... "Work towards being a doctor."

"And how you get there... you will figure something out. But yes. Your memory will serve you well, time again and again."

“Hey...” She hesitated, not sure if she should ask.

"Yes?"

“... Do you love me?”

"I don't think I ever truly loved anyone," he admitted. "But you might become the first."

Well. That was... something, at least. But why was he helping her if he didn’t? “Okay.”

"We have something in common. We both are good at getting what we want."

She smiled. And future her probably wanted _him_ , so...

Before he could say more, the door opened - Carson had been notified of what happened. And as he told her he'd file for divorce, burdened her with accusations, Temperance only thought of her Prince who faded. His part was done. She knew, in her heart, that she would be alright. And one day, she would be loved.

Lagus nodded. Good. And cute. They would make a cute couple when they got through this. Now to go check on Aris again. Maduke _was_ a little shit, after all.

Indeed, Maduke was a high maintenance shit, in fact - Aris ended up reciting the plot of every single telenovela and other tv show she had ever watched just to keep him occupied. But it helped - instead of being eaten by loneliness and grief, he was entertained and distracted. Though the grief was inevitable, he would not be alone for a week when the inevitable happened. And he made himself a nice cloak of deer hide with rabbit fur decorations. He was rather proud of it, too! The boy giggled. "Hey. So. It's time for me to go back..."

“Yeah! Your cloak is _very_ cool, by the way. I love it! I bet your mother will be proud!”

He beamed. "Thanks!" And put it on, too, to show it off. "Hey. I think I deserve a reward! I did well!" And listened to your stupid stories all week!

“A reward?” What did he have in mind?

"Since I will be your lover in the fuuuuture." This was the third or fourth time he tried to ask her to expose herself to him, in the typical curious way that did not quite understand how private this actually was.

“This again?” She puffed her cheeks out.

"Yeah!" He snickered. "Oh pleaaaase."

She bit her lip. On one hand, this was indecent exposure to a minor. On the other, this _was_ her lover, in the future. And his dad had died. He might need something nice to get him through. She huffed. “ _Fine._ ”

Maduke gasped, cheeks flushing. She'd actually do it! He'd see a girl's boobs!Carefully, she tucked her blouse up. She’d worn a cute lolita style ensemble that showed her midriff to her party, but it seemed this young man did not appreciate those aesthetics. “Here.”

His jaw dropped and his eyes widened while his face reddened. Woah, she - suddenly, water poured down on her, and only her, as clouds appeared out of nowhere. Lagus decided to use the spray bottle.

“Ah!” What the heck?! Why was she being rained on?! “Why does that even work?! I didn’t feel it when it rained!”

He just laughed, holding his stomach. "I saw your tits!" And it was HILARIOUS because he was the equivalent of a 13 years old and it was funny. Even Maduke once had been a dumb teenage boy, it seemed. Her face flushed. He’d _asked!_ She pulled the shirt back down. “You...” She didn’t get any more said as she faded from view.

Cheered up, he set out to return home - and Aris got off her high with a stern Lagus in front of her. "Now what was _that_?!"

“I. What was what?” Aris asked.

"My spray bottle." He held it up.

“You were the one who doused me?!”

"Why were you taking off your clothes?", he asked sternly.

“I was just lifting my shirt!”

"And _why_ were you doing that? In front of essentially a child?"

“Because he asked for it as a reward and I figured breasts, at least, were harmless!”

"A reward for what?"

“For succeeding his trial?”

"The trial of adulthood, you mean?" He glanced at Maduke who was lying on the couch, muttering about melting walls. Another dose of psilocybin had not resulted in the lucid hallucinations but clearly an actual hallucinogenic trip.

“Yeah. That.”

Lagus sighed. "He's always been a little shit, huh?"

“Yeah,” she agreed. And huffed. “He is going to have to answer for this!”

"Once he gets off his trip. This time, giving him another dose didn't actually do anything. He's not hallucinating lucidly anymore."

“So it likely won’t do anything for me either then.”

"What do you think is the meaning of this?" He offered her a glass of water.

“Besides Maduke needing help with his grief?”

"Did it feel like you had a _conclusion_ where your trip ended?"

“I think so? He was headed home when I disappeared. Or was that because of the shirt thing and you squirting me?”

"I see. We'll see what he has to say when he's back to normal. All in all, a productive day though."

“I’m gonna go get some food. I think it’s about time to eat.”

Lagus nodded and decided to stay with Maduke while he got off the drugs - and by the time Aris had eaten, the two men returned. And one of them was ready to raid the fridge.

"You want food too, Maduke?" She giggled. "The cheese block is there."

"I am in the mood for meat, actually." Even though cheese, being an exotic food for werewolves, was good too

She reached in the freezer, pulling out some steaks to thaw. "We can go out if you want though."

"Going out sounds good." He rubbed his face. That all had been... rather intense.

"I don't think it's gonna be easy getting into a fancy restaurant right now. I can take one of the cars and we can hit up some fast food, I guess?"

"Sounds good enough. You can drive?" Because he definitely couldn't and he assumed neither did Lagus.

Aris just giggled at that. "What kind of American-born woman can't _drive a car?"_ The very idea was laughable.

"How do I know? Alright. You can drive, then."

"I'll go ask Twelfth for a set of keys!" Didn't matter which. He'd tell her what car it went to.

While Aris fetched keys, Maduke turned to Lagus. "So, Doctor, what's your diagnosis?"

"I sprayed down Aris with a squirt bottle because she lifted her shirt."

"... Context?"

"You were on your adulthood trials."

"Oh. _Oh._ " He laughed. "What a lady-killer I am, huh?"

"My understanding is that you harassed her several times about it and she finally decided to give in and let you see. _As a reward._ " He chuckled.

"Hmmh. Yes. Sounds like me." He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess she had a better time than I did."

“Yes, it seems so. Tough times?”

"I really could've done without seeing that." He despised feeling sympathy for people.

Lagus nodded, patting his shoulder. “Seems she kept you entertained through your entire trial. I heard some of the... stories... she told.”

"I want to switch places," he grumbled.

“With her or your past self?”

"With her. She did not have to deal with heavy shit." But then again, she had to deal with it before - she was the one living through it. He had merely been a spectator.

Lagus just laughed at that. “She _kept_ it from becoming heavy. Wasn’t that around the time...”

Ugh. He glanced down at the floor. "I wanted to go through with the trial anyway because I wanted to be alone."

“Well, you weren’t.”

"I wonder whether that's a good thing or..." Maduke sighed. "Who am I kidding. It probably was."

“She professed her love for you multiple times. I’m fairly certain your past self thinks she’s your girlfriend,” Lagus chuckled.

"Ah, yes, my mysterious older human ghost girlfriend." He gave a serious nod.

He snorted. “There are worse things to have.”

"Oh. I agree." He looked up when Aris returned with the keys. "So, we go and get something to eat now?"

“Yup!” She cheered.

"Great." Maduke pulled away from the kitchen counter. "Let's go, Lagus. Off to the human foods."

“By the way... Maduke, your past self was a very rude young man.” She huffed as she led them outside to one of the cars.

"Oh, was he?" He chuckled.

She waggled a finger at him. “What kind of thirteen-year old,” or equivalent, “makes a lady take her shirt off?”

"From what I heard, it actually worked."

Her face turned red. "That is not the point!"

Maduke laughed and pet her head. "Boys will be boys."

Her cheeks blew out. That’s it. She was finding the _greasiest, unhealthiest_ burger joint she could find. “Let’s go get food then.”


	29. Chapter 29

And Aris definitely found a pretty awful burger joint just for her little shit turned prince/knight. And his friend who'd sprayed her with water even though she had been practically coerced into exposing herself like that. Lagus looked around. A bored-looking young man stood by the till. A couple of people were here at this hour too and Lagus could tell that all of them were drug users. Except one who seemed to be on a break from a night shift.

“Hmm. What looks good to you, Maduke? The T-Rex?” He _did_ say he was hungry. A nine-patty burger might be right up his alley. “What about you, Lagus? Cheesy fries? A salad? Just a drink?”

"I'm having the t-rex _and_ cheesy fries," Maduke announced while Lagus rubbed his chin. "A milkshake sounds entertaining. Strawberries."

Aris giggled. “The T-Rex combo, an order of cheesy fries, a small fry, and two strawberry milkshakes, please.”

"..." The young man nodded and Maduke handed over a credit card to pay. He'd picked it up at the house and wasn't even sure whose it was. "That'll take a hot minute." Nine patties.

She nodded. “That’s no problem.” As she was handed Maduke’s combo drink, she pulled him over to the soda fountain. “You pick your drink here! It’s mostly different sodas, but there’s a button for lemonade, water, and that container right there is iced sweet tea.”

"..." Right. He didn't even know what any of those were. "I heard of cola before." So he would go with that. "Is it okay there's pepsi in there?" The cashier called over.

“You put Pepsi in the Coca-cola slot?”

"Uh. Delivery issues. It's practically the same though."

Aris raised an eyebrow. They were... absolutely _not_ the same. Completely different formulas. It was like comparing grapefruit juice with orange juice and judging them the same. “I feel like you’ve never had either one of you think that, but okay.” She turned back to Maduke. “So, carbonated, or not?” That would help narrow the drink choice.

".... No." He was not fond of the feeling of carbonated drinks.

“So, lemonade, tea, or water?”

"Let's try this _lemonade_ thing."

She giggled, pressing the cup to a lever that poured yellow liquid into a cup. “It’s tangy!” After putting a lid and a straw in, she handed it to him. “Here!”

Maduke nodded while Lagus received the food. That was one hell of a burger. They sat down in a quiet corner and Lagus frowned. "It does not correspond the picture at all."

“It never does,” Aris commented, popping a fry in her mouth. She’d regret this later, but for now? Salty greasy goodness. “The shakes are good here, at least.”

Lagus took a sip through the straw and nodded. "Chemical."

“Everything is chemicals, Lagus. These are just ones that are lab made. It’s cheaper and longer lasting like that. And for some reason, addictive if you eat it enough.” She sipped hers happily. It had been... years, at least, since she last had one like this.

"I see." Though he was not fond of the artificiality of it. While Maduke stared at his burger, trying to figure out how to actually eat it, Lagus reached for a fry.

Aris just giggled, watching the two try and figure it out. “Need me to grab utensils?”

"Yes." Maduke definitely saw no way he would actually dislocate his jaw like that. And even if he could...

She hopped up and brought some back. Plastic, disposable. “Here you go!”

Maduke nodded and simply used the cutlery to disassemble the gigantic burger, finding he did not even have enough space on the tray. Oh well. He definitely could eat a four patty burger, though, even if it did show that his jaws definitely opened wider than a human should be able to.

Oh, that was... actually pretty cute! He could open his mouth that wide?! It was like a puppy yawning! She took another of her plain fries and took the lid off her shake, dipping it in before eating it.

Lagus observed her curiously. "Why did you do that?"

“Hmm? Sweet and salty, hot and cold. All in the same bite!”

"... alright." He grabbed one of _her_ fries and dipped it into his own milkshake.

She frowned, but allowed it. She was the only one who had gotten regular fries. If she hadn’t already eaten and wasn’t just having this as a snack to eat socially, she might actually be upset. But as it was, it was fine.

"So." Maduke started between bites. This greasy mess was actually... deeply satisfying. "What do you think? What were these visions all about?"

Aris hummed. “Whatever weighs on us most heavily, I think.”

"... You never really wanted the child for its own sake. You wanted to be _loved._ "

“And you still carry the grief from your father’s death,” she replied. That could be the only answer.

"No I don't!", he snapped. "I don't care. I really don't."

Lagus whistled. “Generally not the reaction of someone who has actually overcome it.”

“You know, that’s exactly how child you acted at the suggestion as well?” Aris noted.

"He was a weak man. And a coward. He doesn't deserve me grieving over him. Especially not after all this time."

Lagus hummed. “Grief is... not for the dead. It is for the living to cope and move on.”

"Why is it that we are talking about _my_ issues?"

“Because mine are obvious and easily solved,” Aris answered.

"What, that you feel like no one ever really loved you because it's kind of true?"

She frowned, standing and dumping her milkshake on his head. “I’ll be in the car if you need me.”

Maduke blinked several times while Lagus, and some of the customers, just laughed. Annoyed, he wiped over his face. Ugh. It was everywhere.

“I’ll go grab some napkins, friend.” Lagus chuckled. “Perhaps you could have worded that better.”

He grumbled softly and wiped over his face with one of the napkins. Great. Lagus ended up just using his powers to clean and altered the memories of all witnesses before returning to the car. Hopefully Aris was alright.

Aris's eyes were red rimmed, but otherwise she seemed fine. "Well, shall we go back? Or is there somewhere else we should go?"

This time, Maduke got on the passenger seat next to her instead of sitting in the back. "We still have a bit until sunrise, if you want to go scream at the sky."

"We can do that." She nodded. The desert then.

He took a deep breath. "I apologize. My comment wasn't exactly... Gentlemanly."

"I forgive you." She wagged a finger at him. "Don't do it again though!"

"... You know, for all you claiming Temperance is dead... she is not. She is still somewhere in there. Blinding you. Making you repeat her mistakes."

That got a laugh out of Aris. "And how, pray tell, am I repeating them?" She'd stopped caring as much about _actually_ being loved, and instead forced those close to her into a facsimile of it.

"You're looking for love in all the wrong places and from the wrong people."

"I suppose you count yourself as one of those 'wrong people'?"

"I never really loved anyone my whole life."

Lagus snickered in the back seat. He'd heard what he'd told the smaller Aris. Aris laughed at that as well. "Close enough is close enough. I doubt any of my 'babies' actually do either."

"And isn't that the issue? I'm sure someone with a heart could actually love you."

"I'm sure someone with a heart would recognise I'm not someone who they _should_." He'd said it himself, hadn't he?

"We're really beyond saving and the universe is doomed, isn't it?" Maduke laughed. He actually laughed, genuinely and earnestly.

"I guess so. I'd hoped..." She shook her head. It was a stupid wish and she'd failed miserably with his past self anyway.

"What did you hope for?"

"I'd hoped maybe at least some of your issues could be fixed. I heard a small bit of you with me. You did... much better than I did."

"... I wish I could have told you to seek out Lunark. Twelfth has been with the Union too. Fourth might have helped. Even Lagus would have been better. I wish I could have sent you to them."

Aris just laughed. "A small fifteen year old with no skills to show for, trying to turn to the Union for _help_. Yes, that would have turned out brilliantly."

"As if Lunark would turn down a child who needs help. She is soft like that."

"I mean, she _is_ a Union Elder. Most won't take anything on unless it benefits them."

"She's a hopeless idealist. Selfish and absolutely nerve-grindginly irritating -" Even now he felt aggression rise up at the mere thought of her. "... but don't tell me she would not have gotten you an abortion and a school."

"A _whole_ school?" She giggled, picking at his phrasing.

"Talk about putting Children to work." He snickered. "Many times I couldn't say a thing because what I really wanted to say... Would have changed the course of your life."

“And we can’t do that. Is that why you’d never cry even with me explaining that it wasn’t weakness?”

"... I don't cry." Lies. "I'm just not the type."

Aris raised an eyebrow. “Everyone’s the type. It’s not a strength or personal thing. It’s a ‘my body needs to purge this stress’ thing. You’re just redirecting it other places to avoid doing that specific action. I gathered that much while I was watching over you.”

"And so? I _am_ redirecting it after all."

"Mhm. To anger. Which is exacerbating an already existing predilection for violence. Humans sometimes do this too. But when we do it's 'maladaptive' and 'you need to go to anger management'."

"I'm managing my anger. There's just too many people deserving of it, that's the problem."

"Interesting. When nobles get too emotional, we just pass out," Lagus noted.

"... seriously?" Maduke turned to glance at Lagus in the backseat.

"Yes. You see it most often in children."

"What's your drug, Aris? I doubt you resort to murder or passing out."

"Depends on the situation. Sometimes I scream at the sky. Sometimes I cry into my pillow. Sometimes I get revenge. Sometimes I experiment on a pretty boy." She giggled at the last one.

"Vio~lence," Maduke sing-sang.

She hummed. "Yeah, I should probably stop. But then, it's my job!"

Lagus whistled. "If you started screaming at the sky and crying in your pillow, that'd already be an improvement, Maduke."

"That's what we're here for!" She stopped the car. They'd reached a rather desolate mountaintop. Which was good enough for their purposes.

They all got out. In the east, the sky was beginning to brighten and within the hour, the sun of Wednesday morning would rise.

"All right. Now. All you gotta do is-" She screamed at the sky.

Right. Stand there. And scream. Except Maduke merely stood next to the car, unable to move. As if he'd forgotten how to scream.

"Maduke?" She looked to him.

"I can't scream." His mind was blank.

"You can't scream?" She walked closer, worried.

"..." He didn't remember the last time he'd blacked out like this. But why? It was just screaming. He'd done so before. "I'm numb."

She looked to Lagus briefly. "Do we need to see if there's something wrong?"

Lagus shook his head. There was nothing wrong with him _physically._ Maduke simply had shut down at the mere thought of letting some of those ancient complicated feelings out.

"Is it the _idea_ of screaming, or?"

A nod. Even the idea seemed to petrify him.

Hmm... She walked over and hugged him. "What if it were for fun, instead?"

He didn't react - his attention was drawn by the boy who stood by the lone tree. Oh no... He pulled away from Aris, towards the figure - and the boy opened his mouth, as if he was going to call out - but only blood came out. Maduke stopped frozen in his tracks. Warm blood trickled from his nose.

"Maduke!?" Shit! It was happening again!?

The boy wanted to scream, but they couldn't. Once more, the universe sent them back to the start.


	30. Chapter 30

Fuck! What had even killed her? She came out of the bathroom, noting that Third was gone... why was First here then? "You came alone?"

"What?" 'Gio' blinked, stopping on his way into the bathroom. Ignes threw confetti at Aris from behind.

"Hey Ignes!" She greeted quickly before questioning 'Gio' again. "Do we just not have a Third Elder?"

"Third Elder? She's here though. You know. The woman from Nairobi or Namibia or whatever."

That made... absolutely no sense. "So the other Third definitely doesn't exist anymore, and the universe will plop someone down in an Elder's place. Good to know." She shook her head. "Shame. You and the other Third made a cute couple."

"What other Third?" Then he disappeared in the bathroom, locking the door. Ignes raised an eyebrow at that.

"Time loops. I need to talk to your father about going to the werewolf lands." Aris _quickly_ explained what was happening.

Ignes frowned but still took Aris to her father who was chatting with Twelfth - most party guests were gone after all.

"Hey!" She greeted. "Can I talk to you for a minute Fourth?" She nodded happily to Twelfth.

"Of course." Roctis turned to her, feeling... Perturbed. He'd congratulated her earlier, but she felt... Traces of familiarity clung to her.

“Cool!” She led him outside, much more sparse than it was before. “Here... might be good.” She looked around to make sure there was no one else around. This was secret talk, after all.

"What is it about?" Roctis asked. Ignes had followed with a bit of distance.

"I need to go to the werewolf lands."

"The werewolf lands?" He repeated.

"The werewolf lands." She nodded. Wait. "One second. Gotta text Fifth to make sure Second stays put."

"... That's suicidal, Doctor Aris."

"I mean. More suicidal than the shroom trips last loop? I'm stuck in a time loop, by the way. Wound up bonded to Lagus a couple loops back! Kinda weird that the bond sticks through the loops though."

"... So it's Lagus I feel." He hadn't sensed that bond before. This... This lent credibility to her downright absurd words. If she truly... "Alright. I'll help you. But first... Why the werewolf lands?"

“ _Because_ Maduke is there!” She said cheerfully. “And our last loop ended rather... odd. I want to make sure he’s okay.”

She even knew the Lord's name. Alright. "I'll trust you. But Ignes stays here."

"Okay. I'm sure she can have her own fun. Right Ignes?" Aris giggled.

"Yeah!" Ignes called over. Roctis nodded. "Let's not waste time, then. I'll have my pilot ready the plane."

"Okay! Thank you!"

They set out soon enough - hopefully this would go well. "I've never actually been to the werewolf lands," Roctis admitted. "They always have been reclusive, but after Second took the throne..."

“Is that why people think they’re extinct?” She asked.

"Yes. That was part of the agreements between the werewolves and the union back then."

“I see...” But they were so cool!

The flight was relatively short - and Roctis could hear the pilot trying to convince the station to let them land. Since they did land, it must have worked. A small private airfield. The pilot stepped out of the cockpit. "We're supposed to wait until they come and get us, Fourth."

Waiting wasn’t a problem. “For the warriors? Or do they have others greeting?”

"I'd be offended if they did not send warriors," Roctis commented. He was a clan leader after all. After about ten minutes, they received the clearance to open the doors, the assistants of the airfield had brought the staircase and the escort team had arrived. Roctis offered an arm to Aris as he took her down the stairs. A redhead werewolf with glasses waited for them, accompanied by a group of younger werewolves. "We're here to bring you to the Lord," she announced.

“Thank you. I appreciate it!” Aris said. One must always be polite in an unfamiliar setting.

They were brought to a castle that was more than just imposing - it was practically _made_ to intimidate. Gaura took them over the main courtyard towards the large entry doors into an entrance hall and then, the next set of doors into a dark, long-stretched throne room. The throne sat empty. "You'll have to wait here. The Lord has been notified of your arrival and will see you." Eventually.

Aris nodded, taking in the area. With a giggle, she said, “wow! He really designed this place to intimidate!”

Roctis nodded, distinctly not comfortable in this place. After about fifteen minutes, Maduke finally joined them, accompanied by Lunark. "Aris? You actually came all the way out here?" He blinked.

“I did!” She practically ran to him for a hug. “Are you okay?”

"People are disappearing left and right." He actually pulled her head back for a kiss. He _had_ to love her. He had to force himself, one way or another, if this was to stop.

“I know. The Third we know disappeared. But was replaced by a different one, so... at least nature abhors a vacuum, I suppose.”

"... Any person who disappeared just simply never existed." So of course in this universe, someone else took that position instead.

“I admit I half expected the position to just be _empty_ and no one question the insanity of skipping the number three for Elders.”

"... No, I... actually agree with you there. It wouldn't surprise me anymore. Nothing would surprise me anymore."

What to do now? She frowned. “I still don’t know how to help you.” The screaming... he’d gone numb.

He pulled away. "Maybe we just have to accept everyone's doomed."

... What? No! She frowned. “You know why I can’t accept that.” Giving up was not an option.

"Then what do you propose?!" It wasn't exactly like he could do anything!

“... Are you really so scared of your emotions you’d rather let the universe destroy itself than face them?” Her voice was low, dangerous. She _knew_ her issues. She’d come to terms with them a long time ago. In a healthy way? No. But at least she knew what they were and what the root of them was. He didn’t seem to at all!

"What?" He blinked. He wasn't _scared._

“I mean. What other reason could there be? You choked up with something as simple as screaming them to an empty sky!”

"I had a _blackout_! I wasn't afraid or anything!"

“And why did you blackout?” She folded her arms.

" _Anyone_ can randomy forget how to scream!"

“Anyone can?” Really now.

"Yes! That's just normal! Lunark, scream." Before she could even _try_ to follow his order, he interrupted with a "See! That's perfectly normal!"

Aris raised an eyebrow. Interrupting was hardly proof. “Let’s try something else then.”

"Like what?"

“What do _you_ feel would be the best way to face your emotions? Or do you wanna try screaming again?” Oh! “We could-“ Wait. That was _too_ personal with Fourth and Fifth there, maybe.

"... We could what?"

“I was mostly gonna suggest a specific thing to shout at besides the sky. Not important.”

"..." He raised a brow. "Gaura, go and find a way to entertain Ser Roctis." He really was, by all accounts, absolutely not needed here.

“Yes, Lord.” How did they entertain a clan leader though? “Come with me.”

Now, one down. "Lunark, be on standby in the antechamber for now."

“Yes, Lord.” The clack of her heels signalled her leaving.

Maduke turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose as he approached the throne. This was... fucked up. "The universe really is collapsing, isn't it?" But if it was... Shit. He stopped. He hardly cared at all for most of the world, but if this was really the end of times...

She nodded sadly. “Looks like it.” And they were the only ones truly cognisant of it.

"... there is someone I want to see one last time if this is really happening." His words were not much more than a whisper. Zaiga... Had been his companion ever since he's been a boy. But there was someone else who maybe was not gone yet. "... If they still exist."

Someone he wanted to see one last time? “Well, let’s go then!”

Ugh. Maduke rubbed his temples. "I'll definitely have a heart attack," he muttered as he passed Aris and stepped out into the antechamber. "Lunark. We're seeing the shaman. I know you know the way."

Lunark blinked. “Of course.” She turned to lead. How strange. As far as she knew, the Lord and the shaman were at odds with each other. Maybe the visit had to do with everything she’d already overheard.

Maduke and Aris followed her. It was an uncomfortable silence as they trecked up the mountains. "Are you alright?", Maduke questioned with a glance at Aris. She wasn't exactly dressed for hiking.

Aris giggled at that. “You offering to carry me?” She’d be fine though. It wasn’t like she was a normal, average human. Walking this much was fine.

"I will if I need to."

“Don’t worry. You don’t. I’m not a normal human to begin with.” She laughed. “A simple hike up a mountain is nothing.”

"I'm just making sure." They continued and stepped out onto the plateau of the Lordswood.

Oh! This was... There was a tree where his father was buried. She noted that silently as they continued up the mountain. It was something best not brought up.

Eventually, they reached the place - and Maduke shuffled uncomfortably at the sight of the hut. "Wait here. Both of you." He'd have to face this alone.

Aris frowned, but nodded. Lunark simply confirmed the order.

Maduke entered alone and Lunark sat on the stump of an old, fallen tree. "So you and the Lord... Who _are_ you?"

"Oh. He's my boyfriend, even if he's not aware of it yet!" She said cheerfully.

"... Right." Lunark raised an eyebrow. What the Lord had tolerated from her so far was... astonishing, actually. "And who are you again?"

"Doctor Aris," she responded.

"Of the Union, then?" She questioned. A human scientist. Why did... nothing made sense. "Do you know what's the deal between the Lord and the shaman, then?"

Aris giggled. "Yes, of the Union. And I know what it is, more or less." Maduke had said that this was someone he wanted to see before they disappeared. So... family, likely. With his brother and father being dead, that meant... it was either his mother or sister, in all likelihood.

"And...?" Lunark tilted her head. "Because all I know is that they have been as close to enemies as you can get with the Lord before you get disposed of."

"She's family." Aris was, of course, guessing at the sex of the shaman. But she was likely correct.

"Family?", Lunark questioned with a frown. But that would mean... She turned away. The Lord's family affairs were not hers. "Okay then."

“Don’t worry. He’s not going to try courting you anymore.” For one, he had _Aris_. For two, Lunark was...

"Huh?" That actually got Lunark's attention back. This Doctor Aris knew about this?

“What? I know a lot of things. But he’s mine now, just so we’re clear on that.”

"I'll be grateful if you turn out right about this."

She raised an eyebrow. “He found out you were his niece a few loops ago. Trust me, he’s not interested anymore even if he _didn’t_ have me.”

"... _what_?" Now that was... The Lord, the man who pursued her while fucking her ex-girlfriend, was her _uncle_?

She shrugged. “You told me that yourself. I guess he told you that loop.” Since she didn’t appear to have known already.

"... Impossible. He wouldn't..." Her face twisted in disgust. He really pursued her even though he _knew_ she was his niece?!

"No. He wouldn't. Hence him stopping now that he knows. The loop always comes back to today, you know?" Really now. Maduke could be awful, but he had _standards_.

Lunark frowned, but nodded. What were they talking about...? "Your stomach just grumbled," she noted. Such things were easy to hear for a werewolf.

"It does that. I headed here immediately after the loop started."

"We can find you some food. There's plenty of berries around until we can get something proper to eat." The shaman would definitely share - but she would not intrude on a private conversation. Absolutely not.

"Sure. So. Who is the shaman? It could be one of two people, since you basically confirmed they were a woman. Maduke's Lord grandmother has to be dead by now, so that leaves his mother or sister."

"... Mother." Lunark did not even need to think about it. "Psychedelic mushrooms were outlawed by Lord Faellan after his sister died in an incident caused by some warriors who took too many."

"Okay then!" She tucked that information away, continuing to follow Lunark into the woods.

They gathered some berries for Aris - and it was fine until she tripped and fell down the ravine, breaking her neck in the process. Maduke had not withstood facing one of the people he had hurt the most.


	31. Chapter 31

Aris frowned into the... where was the mirror? Actually, she hadn't noticed. It hadn't been there for a while. Well, whatever. She left the room, noticing... "Oh! You exist again!"

Third blinked while Ignes approached, confetti in hand. "What?" He and 'Gio' asked simultaneously.

"Universe is falling apart because it keeps repeating the same few days. You disappeared last loop," she explained. "Poor First had to be here all alone. Have fun with your boyfriend!" She walked off to see Ignes.

"Happy Birthday!" Ignes cheered, tossing confetti at Aris.

"Hey, Ignes!" Aris hugged her, texting Lunark behind her back to have her tell Maduke that Third was back.

In the werewolf lands, Maduke was still in his room, smoking his third cigar, when Lunark came to the door with the message she received. "Come in," he called.

She bowed deeply. "Lord, I have received a message meant for you."

"What does it say?" He turned to her. How much more had the world detoriated by now?

"It says... to tell you that Third is back."

Maduke's eyes widened. Third was back?! Then... That meant missing people were coming back into existence! He simply crossed the distance with wide stride and picked her up in a swirling hug. "You're one of the most annoying people I know," he started. "... but figures my niece would be a little shit like me."

Lunark blinked. "What?"

He simply set her down and pet her head. "I have a party to go to!"

“Party?” Her face twisted with disgust as she registered what he’d said. What in the actual _fuck?!_

"I'll explain everything when I'm done celebrating. Come with me if you really don't want to wait for that."

“I...” Well. It _was_ a party. “Let’s go then.”

He only spoke up once they left the shore. "I found out about your sire a couple of days ago. Rasmut. He was my brother."

“Oh.” So... not during one of his recent asks. _Good_. There was that, at least.

"Back then, he sided with the traitors and dissidents. And I don't play favourites."

“... Right.” Didn’t she know it.

"I am not proud of it, or anything, and I don't think I'd make the same choice again, if I could. But this is what happened."

“I see...” How was she supposed to respond to that? This was... deeply personal. Not necessarily something Lunark herself was involved with, and he was just... sharing? She didn’t know what to think of it.

They almost reached the party when he stopped. "Where would you get flowers at this time?"

“A field, maybe?” It was rather late at night. “Most florists close before sundown, but you could also try a supermarket.”

He nodded and they were delayed by half an hour because he decided to get Aris flowers again - with which in hand he entered the villa. More people. Was this working? It must be, if Third was back!

Aris seemed to be celebrating herself, near Ignes. She popped up when she saw him, rushing to hug her dear ‘boyfriend’. “Things are getting better!”

Her hug was met with a laugh and a hand on her back. "I can't believe it actually worked. Happy howmanieth birthday."

“Fifty-three. But if you tell anyone I will find a way to end you, even if I _do_ love you,” she said sweetly.

"Have we really died thirty times already?" He quipped.

Aris laughed. “You _charmer_.” She snuggled into his chest. “Are you okay? You likely died while talking with...”

"... Yes. No. I mean..." He sighed. "I am just glad it seems to pay off, you know?"

She nodded. “Do you want to go... celebrate?”

"Absolutely." Maduke nodded. "Lunark, enjoy the evening."

“Okay.” This was surreal. This whole damn thing had to be fake. She wished she could drink it away.

Now that they were alone... Maduke placed a hand against Aris. "I would not mind some _fun._ "

Aris laughed, grabbing his hand to lead him to the bed. “Now, what did you think I meant by ‘celebrate’?”

He followed, perfectly content. "A few lines of cocaine and five slices of cake," he suggested, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I can’t eat _tha~at_ much! I’ll get fa~at!” She pouted. “I’ve been fine with eating more because we’re looping, but I do keep a strict diet.”

"Alright. Alright. Two slices of cake and a lapdance," he suggested.

“I’ve got a better idea.” She said, dropping to her knees. Wait. “Can you... hand me some of my pillows?” She was too short like this.

Oh that actually made him chuckle. Wasn't she sweet? "There you go." Some of her poofiest pillows, clearly more decoration than anything.

“Thank you!” And with that, she got to work.

They spent the entire evening in her room - happy to be only with each other and no one else. Towards one or two in the morning, though, they ended up leaving the room. Maduke wanted some food and something to smoke. On their way to the door, though... "Welcome back in existence, Third Elder." He was keeping Gio company while he and a Chinese diplomat were snorting lines of cocaine off a glass table.

Third blinked. “Thank you?” This was the second time he’d been congratulated along those lines.

"Do you feel any different? Any spotty memories or anything?"

“No? Same as usual.” What the fuck? “That’s good!” Aris giggled. “Hey! This means maybe as we do better, Zaiga will be back too!”

"He better." He wasn't going through all the troubles here to _not_ have his best friend back. "We're going to go and grab food then. Aris. That place with those 'burgers' was interesting."

”Burgers?" First perked up and wiped over his nose. "I'm in. We're coming too."

“Cool! Who is driving?” She could, of course. But if... “Not you, Gio.”

"But I-" Gio was interrupted by his boyfriend who volunteered to drive them. They had come with a tuned sports car and the chauffeur was dismissed so Third could get behind the wheel himself. Gio insisted to sit on the passenger seat.

Aris got into the back along with Maduke. “Nice.” The car was cool, but Maduke was much cooler in general.

"So, know any good places?" Third questioned, glancing in the rear mirror. Their enemy, second Elder, and Doctor Aris? Weird.

“The place last time, or do you wanna try a different burger joint?” Aris asked Maduke.

"The last place was satisfactory. I didn't get to finish my food." And so they had a place to go. And on the way... Gio ran a hand over Third's upper thigh. "You're actually really sexy when you're driving."

“Gio...” Third warned, face flushing. “Do not. We have others in the car.” And he was high besides.

"So what? They can close their eyes."

Aris snorted in the back. “And miss the show?”

"Oh you're into that, Missy?"

Aris just laughed happily, not answering the question. “I’ve got my own guy here.” She snuggled into Maduke’s arm.

"Well not blowing that one," Gio replied with a bastardly grin.

“I hope not. This one’s mine.” Her mouth would suffice just fine, thank you very much. “Exhibitionist, huh?” Who would have thought.

"Not an exhibitionist. _Sexually liberated_ , Missy."

"High on cocaine," Third corrected.

Aris just laughed. “I’m pretty sure you’d get arrested for indecent exposure a lot if this was your _normal_ idea of sexual liberation.” First Elder or not.

"Me? Hell nah. I'm the king. No one's gonna arrest me for _anything._ " Third only didn't facepalm because he was driving.

“Hmm? But not everyone knows that. _Most_ won’t, especially not common cops who have nothing to do with the Union. So there’s nothing stopping them from it.”

He waved his hand dismissively. "Details." Third got them to the burger joint pretty safely given that he'd had several drinks as well. Now it was time for food. "The milkshake was interesting," Maduke announced. "I'll have one this time. With chocolate."

Aris nodded. “I’ll get the same this time.” Could... could werewolves really _have_ chocolate? They weren’t like dogs in that regard? First seemed to be considering the same thing. “More cheesy fries?”

"Yes. And the big burger." He nodded seriously.

“Big burger? I want one too!” First exclaimed.

“Gio. That is nine patties,” Third stated.

“C’mon! I promise I’ll eat it all.”

"Maybe go for something more modest, pretty boy," Maduke mocked. As if that guy could eat the thing.

“I’m gonna eat it,” he insisted.

Third just frowned and glanced to Aris who nodded sympathy. They placed the orders and waited. "Oh. By the way." Aris tossed her hair back. "They put Pepsi in the Coke dispenser."

First looked to her with a frown and laughed, gentle chuckles quickly becoming maniacal. “Oh I am gonna burn this place to the ground.”

"So don't fill your cup with that. Maduke said the lemonade is okay here."

“I’m not gonna! It’s the _principle_ of the matter!” He was a strawberry Fanta man, _thank you very much_.

"Huh. I thought you'd be the Coke drinking type."

“No colas! Only fruity sodas!” He declared, like some sort of fountain guru.

"Gotcha." If she didn't have her prince already, she'd probably look to get involved with him and his boyfriend. Once they had their food, they sat down at one of the free tables.

First tucked into his T-Rex with _far_ more gusto than anyone using cocaine reasonably should, given its appetite suppressing properties. It was... almost impressive. “So, is ‘Gio’ a pseudonym to hide your identity or do you just go by that in general?” Aris asked.

"Wha?" He asked, forgetting that his mouth was full. He'd split his burger into two - four and five parties. With squashing, he could actually open his mouth wide enough to eat that. "I'm not Geo."

“Yes. Your name is ‘Giovanni’. Or ‘Gio’ for short. I call you that _all the time_ ,” Third corrected. It was like babysitting a child when he was this coked out. Five lines was a horrible idea.

"Oh." _Gio_ fell silent. He had a lot to think about.

"Moonmother, wish I were that high," Maduke commented.

Aris just laughed. “No one throws a party like Twelfth does.”

"It's why we gotta summit," First announced proudly- then he realised the fucking werewolf asshole was eating his burger faster than him. Oh no. He'd not let him have this victory.

Third facepalmed again, drinking his vanilla shake to try and fight the flush. “You are... not very good at acting when you’re high. Or hungover, huh?” Aris noted.

"What?" He asked in between bites and Maduke briefly set down his burger to sip at his chocolate milkshake. "We know you're the First Elder."

Third’s gaze snapped up. _Shit_. Aris waved her hand. “It’s not like we’re gonna tell anyone or do anything about it. I don’t see any benefit to doing so that wouldn’t endanger me, so it’s not worth it.” Crude statement, but it was what the Union stood for, for the most part.

Maduke snickered. "Cut down on the cocaine and vodka, maybe."

“ _Shit!”_ First put his head in his hands. Wait. No. He still wasn’t losing. He couldn’t! He was the king. He tucked into his burger more ferociously than before.

While Gio struggled to finish his burger first, Maduke turned his attention to the cheesy fries. "Your secrets are safe with my indifference."

Third just patted Gio’s back. He was an idiot, but he was his idiot and it seemed he was still safe.

First finished the burger first and raised both arms. "I told you, I'm the _king._ "

Aris laughed. “I don’t think Maduke was _competing_.”

"I still won!" He insisted and dug into his fries next.

“That you did, Gio.” Third patted his back again placatingly.

They all finished their foods and Maduke leaned back. "Is there more with chocolate?" He had enjoyed the milkshake, actually.

“More chocolate flavoured stuff?” Aris asked.

"Yes. It's good." It was... nostalgic, actually.

“One sec. I’ll go check their dessert menu.” Sometimes they had the cheap chocolate cheese-cake things. He’d probably like that.

Third shuffled. "Gio, do you want anything else?"

First flopped forward onto the table. “I’m sooo full. Tejjy, help meee.”

"No. You brought this upon yourself." He shook his head and sipped at his Pepsi. He was fine with it.

Aris came back with the chocolate cheesecake. Hershey’s, but it was good enough. “Here you go!” She put it in front of her boyfriend.

"... What exactly is this?", Maduke questioned.

“Cheesecake,” she answered. “Chocolate flavour.”

"... Cheesecake with chocolate?", he repeated critically. How would this even work? Still, he tried, and... it was not bad, actually.

“Technically speaking it’s a _tart_ , but I’m not the one who named the thing. And this is a rather cheap and bland one. You can get _much_ better cheesecakes elsewhere.”

"... It doesn't taste like cheese." Just an observation. It was still okay.

“It does though? The cream cheese in it is pretty prominent. Especially in other styles.”

"... Ah. Another type of cheese." Made sense. He glanced at the other two Elders. "What are you two up to next?"

"I'm dragging him back to Twelfth's and to bed."

"Oh I bet you are," First purred.

"Not like that," Third countered.

"Have fun with that." He'd sated his appetites sufficiently. All of them.

Aris leaned against him happily. "What should we do now?"

"I'm not sure." He felt kind of tired still. Confronting his mother...

"Go back and go to bed too? We don't get a lot of rest during this thing."

"Alright. I assume Lagus might be on his way."

"Probably." She kissed his shoulder, just happy to be together and things be getting better.

"Shit... We really have to try make amends, huh?" He hated it.

“Make amends?”

"People we hurt, things we did wrong, that sort of thing."

Aris frowned. “I killed my parents. There’s no fixing that. And how would I go about apologising to all my sugar daddies?” This was... tricky.

"What about the approximately one hundred and fifteen million people who died as a direct result of wars I instigated for my own reasons? It's not like I can apologize to them either."

"I suppose I could apologise to Takeo? He's the only one of my 'souvenirs' in DA-5. The rest of my precious babies brought this fate on themselves. Well. Kranz and Hammer were volunteers. But Shark and Tao? Death Row inmate and idiot who decided to try breaking into a Union base and hacking into the system."

Maduke whistled. "I guess it's worth trying." Him seeking out his mother had been more of a serendipity than anything.

"He's such a sweet boy. He deserves an apology, I think."

"Well. That's next on our list, then. Takeo... Who was that again? The sharpshooter?"

"Yup! If he's not drunk or coked out, he should be safe."

"Alright." Maduke furrowed his brows. "That makes for a short list."

She shrugged. "I don't leave survivors. If they're not with me, either they're dead or they aren't who they were."

"... Fair enough. Me neither. For the most part. Sometimes I just keep them around for torment."

"... Yuri, for example. I think he's a perfectly good person to torment. He's Union, so he won't need an apology. It's just tit-for-tat, people like us, right?"

"I guess so. Well. I probably should put two people out of their misery and tell one I killed all three of their parents."

"Good plan. Later, though. For now, we rest." Once they got back to Twelfth's."

"Now that we know what we have to do... Ugh." He made a rather disgusted noise.

"I know, it sucks, right?" She laughed. "I'll have to stop taking souvenirs. At least, not ones just taken off the street."

"I'll have to stop playing cat and mouse with the opposition and just straight out kill them."

"Yeah..." However, as Aris stood to leave, the whole restaurant was caught in a gas explosion. True to First's claim, he had, in fact, set up the place to burn to the ground.


	32. Chapter 32

"Fuck!" Maduke growled aggressively. Why was he back here?! What did they do wrong this time? But fine. He'd do his part and Aris would have to do hers. Off to find Lunark.

Lunark, it seemed, was on the training field with Kentas. The two stopped as Maduke approached, bowing in his presence.

"Why are you two _here_?" He hadn't even _seen_ Kentas since the looping started. And as he had searched, he'd grown worried until someone confirmed Lunark's continued existence.

"... We were sparring, Lord," Lunark stated. Wasn't that obvious?

"Right." Something had changed. But on the upside, Kentas existed again. "Lunark, I need you to check your phone."

"My phone?" She took it out. "... A message from an unknown number. I can't make sense of that."

"What does it say?"

"... I'm fairly certain it's a wrong number. Just says that they're going to go talk to a 'Ta-chan'."

Maduke nodded. "Yes. Tell them I'm not coming, I'm cleaning up too."

"... Okay." She quickly texted that to the person.

"Lunark, we're going on a walk. Kentas, back to whatever you would be doing normally."

"Yes, Lord." He nodded, getting to work while Lunark fell into step behind Maduke.

Halfway up, he started talking. "I am aware I always have been demanding with you. More demanding than Lord Faellan ever has been with me."

Lunark tilted her head. She had no idea what that meant, but okay. "I have succeeded most of the time, Lord."

"You did. It is no coincidence I chose you over, say, Juraki, or other warriors who do not only excel physically, but are also far less nerve-grating than you. You remind me of myself when I was your age."

"... The shaman says the same, actually." It was strange. Why did everyone say she was so like Maduke?

"It is no surprise, knowing what I know now. Which is why... I take back my proposition. Don't worry. My disappointment with you explicitly having not the slightest intention of continuing your bloodline pure lingers, but either way, it is not going to be with me."

"... Thank you, Lord," her tone was genuine, but confused.

"You remind me of your sire, in that regard. He really hardly could be bargained or reasoned with."

"How do you..." Even _know_ that!?

"I found out a couple of days ago, so to say. As I said. I am cleaning up today."

What was even going on!? She had no clue, but she supposed she could listen to her Lord.

He fell silent, clearly not sure what to say, for a change - which was only ever when he was being genuine. "The Moonmother made it rather clear that I cannot keep living the way I have done so far."

“The Moonmother?” This was... some mystic level interference.

"Figures how bad a man must be for the Moonmother to intervene." A dry laugh.

“... Makes sense, I suppose. She’s mostly hands off...”

"Until she isn't. And then you cannot deny her. In any case... this is my following her will. I have wronged you, Lunark."

Lunark was silent. Confirming or denying that would have no benefit to her, after all.

They stepped out onto the Lordswood plateau. "Your sire... Rasmut... was my younger brother."

“He... what?!” The Lord was... her uncle?!

"It's just one of the things I found out about in the past couple of days."

“... Right.” She shuffled awkwardly.

He stopped in front of Neith's tree. "This is where he is buried. This is where you, too, can rest one day, if that is your wish."

Didn’t Lords get their own pine cones though? Or was he basically confirming what she already believed, that he had no intention of ever ceding the throne? “... That would leave my mothers very lonely.”

"... It would. And about them..."

That... sounded foreboding. “What is it?”

"Their influence on you... coupled with their questions..." They had painted target marks on themselves.

“You...” Her eyes filled with betrayal. There wasn’t much to trust about Maduke, but this? She’d honestly thought better of him here.

"And it didn't even make that much of a difference, in the end." What a waste of life, really.

“You took them from me. You...” He had to have known, right? How much it troubled her that, at the time, the Union was an unknown and she was forced to try and give them vague answers when they questioned her.

"I did." Maduke nodded. And he never even felt bad about it.

Betrayal turned to anger as a feral snarl came from her lips. He’d taken her _family_ from her in more ways than one! First separating them with her job, which wasn’t so bad, but this? This was over the line! She lunged at him, claws already forming as she went straight for his neck.

This went as well as expected - but he wouldn't let a youngling get the better of him. Her claws slashed through the fabric of his sleeves and lacerated the skin underneath. " _Don't_ throw away your life like this! Is this really how you want to die?!"

"YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU!?" Lunark was very clearly no longer thinking straight.

Then he would have to retaliate. Subdue her. And more importantly... He still had one last ace up his sleeve. Not without giving her at least a bit of a beating first, though.

She screamed, rushing him with little thought or battle plan. How _dare_ he take from her what she held dear? And then _continue_ to try and do that!

Strangely, he did not even fight back all that much - only enough to protect herself, with little to no actual counter attacks. Let her rage, if that helped her. Let her rage if this would set the universe back where it belonged.

Was he... _toying_ with her!? "You'd never have stopped without the Moonmother's interference! You'd have kept going and going until there was nothing left of me that was me!"

"No. That's _exactly_ what I am. A big, massive black hole that swallows _everything._ "

"You bastard!" She went for his neck again.

This time, he actually retaliated with a full aura slash. This was getting out of hand. "You still have family left. _Aside from me._ "

"None that I know." She bit out.

"You don't know the shaman?" He went for a full tackle with a headlock to incapacitate her. "She is your grandmother."

That did cause enough hesitation for Maduke to gain the upper hand. Shit! She struggled, clawing at his arm to try and get him off.

"She lives right here. It's but a stone's throw." He squeezed her throat harder. "Lose your claws, and I'll let you go talk to her. Keep fighting, and you'll join your parents."

Live and tell the shaman or die here... _just as pointlessly as her parents_. It was that thought that had her reaching to scratch his face.

Her attack caught him by mild surprise - and though he tried to move away, her claws left a shallow cut, hindred by the angle they both were at. Still, it was enough to make him relax his lock on her throat.

“You... what makes you think you even _deserve to live_ after everything?”

Her question made him recoil physically, actually, bringing a couple of feet between them. Did he, though? "When was it ever a question of merit?"

"It's not. But there's a big difference between being an asshole and someone who destroys everything they touch. I... I really wanted to believe in you. Think that you had a greater purpose and everything would be set to rights later. But you don't. You don't, and you need to be kept from continuing to destroy."

"And it's not up to _you._ Lunark. You will throw your life away here. And even if you kill me, it won't make a difference anymore. What happens is no longer up to us."

Won't make a difference anymore. No longer up to them. What the fuck did that even mean!? Oh, he had better watch his back. His days were numbered. "Then _leave_." She bit. "You aren't welcome in my sight, Lord or not."

"I accept your resignation from all honours and duties." If Lunark never wanted to see him again, there was really only one way. "Tell the shaman her exile is revoked, if she still cares about that."

She bristled at that. Fine! Fuck him. At least they’d moved to a different call system in the Union. She’d go stay with Urokai. “Fine.” She moved past him, going to do just that.

Well. That had gone about as well as he'd expected. Now... He wasn't sure where to go from now, actually. "Shaman's the other way."

“I don’t have reception here and I have to make a call.” Asshole.

If there was anyone she wanted to call, it must be... "If it's Sixth you need, he's at the party Twelfth invited us to."

Ah. Then she should go see the shaman. “I’ll head there after, then.” She turned to head back up.

And he turned to leave in the opposite direction. There was still a lot of unfinished business for him and for Aris... She'd finally awaited the moment Krantz showed up to let her know DA-5 was there and ready to see her whenever she wanted

“Kranz!” She hugged him happily. “You made it!” Was all of her lovely DA-5 intact?

"I did." He nodded. "Everyone else is waiting outside."

She nodded. “I need Takeo disarmed and brought to my room for a talk. You’ll need to keep him disarmed indefinitely afterwards, and make sure that his mental health is maintained. If he drops to an obvious suicide attempt, take him aside away from the others, force him to take the D, and absorb him.”

"... As you wish." He would not question Doctor Aris' orders. "I'll bring him to your room."

“Thank you Kranz. You’re the best!” But then, that was why he’d been named ‘crown’, now wasn’t it?

He nodded and headed off. Takeo was confused by the order, but still complied and followed their leader. Someone who wanted to see him... But why? He held his breath when opening the door.

"Ah! Takeo! You're here!" Aris was quite happy about that fact. It was always a joy to see him!

A gasp. "Teira?! What are you doing here?!"

She giggled. "It's my birthday, I'm here to celebrate. But that's not important. We need to talk."

"... Yours?" Now he only realised... He didn't even know her birthday. Or his.

She nodded. "Which is why you all are here. So you can celebrate it too."

"... But your sickness..."

"... Takeo... there is no sickness."

"... What are you talking about? Are you healed?!" That must mean she was healed, right?!

"There never was one. I..." Her throat closed. How was she supposed to admit this? Say she wasn't 'Teira'? It wasn't as if she'd done it to actively hurt Takeo or to poke fun at him. She'd done it because he conveniently filled a need she had... And that didn't sound any better now that she thought of it.

"... Teira..." He took a step backwards. "What's going on?"

"Teira isn't my name. It never has been." She looked up. "My name is Aris."

"..." Takeo simply stared at her in stunned silence.

"... I'm sorry. It's not a joke, or anything. And this wasn't for my amusement either. You're just..." How did she explain that? "I..."

" _You_ are Doctor Aris?!" He felt sick. "You... You... You LIED to me!"

"... I did," she confirmed. "And I am sorry."

He wiped his hand over his mouth. This was... "... I never had a sister, had I?"

"Not that I am aware of. I don't have any records of your background, unfortunately."

"... You're... that's sick!" The only reason he was still alive... the only reason he could bear the weight of the things he had to do for the union... was so his sister was safe and could be cured.

"I'm a sick person, Takeo." She curled up, knees to her chest. "It was killing two birds with one stone. You needed a reason to live. And I... wanted to be loved."

"... You... WHO was I?! What did you do to me?"

"I don't know. Yuri pulled you randomly off the street. He never bothers to look into people when he does. As for your memory... standard Union procedure for new agents.”

"... I had a life." His voice trembled. "A family, maybe. I had a _home_!"

Or so Takeo theorised. Aris had no idea whether he had any of those things or not. “Do you want me to find you obituaries from where you were found?”

"I'm leaving. I can't ... There was only one reason for me to be here."

“You will not be allowed to, Takeo. The Union doesn’t let anyone get away. Deserting... that will cost you your life.”

"Then I'll die free," he snapped bitterly.

She’d always known his love wasn’t real. But this level of rejection still hurt. “I can still be Teira if you want.”

"No." Takeo took another step backwards, towards the door. He'd adored Teira. Even though he had no memories of her, he'd loved her all the same. For Teira, his ill little sister, he killed in cold blood. "You don't _deserve_ to be Teira."

A drop fell from her eye. She’d known that. She’d known that all along, hadn’t she? Just as much as she’d wanted to be loved. Just as she’d enjoyed being Takeo’s sister, she’d always known that she didn’t deserve it. “Do you hate me?”

"... You disgust me." He did not know about hate. Probably. When the hurt, betrayal and disgust would be gone, there'd probably be nothing but hatred left

She laughed as more tears fell. “You and everyone else, probably.”

"If you're that kind of person, who can do something like this... Probably." He sounded bitter.

She just laughed harder, a broken sound for a broken woman. “Nothing new then.” Hadn’t it always been this way? Someone always disgusted with her? “I doubt you could love me even if I _was_ Teira.”

"No. I loved Teira. I would've done anything for her." His voice trembled as he stepped closer. This...

“You loved the _image_ of Teira I gave you.” Never actually her. Her laughter died off with a snort.

"I don't care." Not anymore. He'd adored his little sister. And she was nothing more than a cruel, twisted and selfish lie.

“No. You don’t,” she said bluntly, “All you cared about was a cute, sick girl. I didn’t even particularly _try_ acting for her. Just like every other man, you only cared for protecting a sob story that touched your heart.” Never the person behind it.

"Shut up." His voice was reduced to a broken whisper as he tried to reach for her neck.

She slapped his hand away. “I’m stronger than you. Always have been. Mentally. Physically. You’re willing to just _give up_ because I’m not who you thought I was!”

"SHUT UP!" For the first time in ages, he actually raised his voice like that.

“Why don’t you!” She burst into tears properly, finally. Though she hadn’t intended to do so in front of him. “Just. Go enjoy my stupid birthday party or something,” she sniffled. “I don’t need you! Never have!”

Instead of saying anything, he outright attacked - going for the neck. "You're a monster!"

“Kranz!” She yelled, grabbing Takeo’s hands. Of course she could win this. It was _just Takeo_ after all. But it was Kranz’s job to complete this part of the experiment.

Without delay, Kranz entered the room. This was a worst case. He'd even had Takeo disarmed. Together, they forced the D pill into his mouth, which then allowed Kranz to absorb his life force. And throughout the whole struggle, Aris cried. Did she... Could she possibly care for them?

As Aris stood before him, wiping her eyes to try and rid the tears, she managed to get out, “You and the others... enjoy the party.” She wanted to be alone for a while.

"... We're at your disposal, Doctor Aris." He picked up Takeo's body.

She nodded, but then shook her head. “I had you all brought here because I wanted you to enjoy it too. Sorry for making you work today.”

He hesitated. "This is not your last party."

“No. They almost seem endless these days.” She moved to her bed, grabbing a pillow to try and comfort herself.

She was adorable like that. Sad. Vulnerable. Rejected. "Can I do anything to comfort you?" Like any man, it was hard for him to see a woman cry.

“A hug would be nice, I guess?” Kranz was... “You’re a good son.”

Ah. No then. It was a pity, given how attractive she actually was. Still, he moved to oblige, setting down Takeo's body by the door.

She watched Takeo’s body sadly, leaning into Kranz’s hug. “I brought him here... to apologise. To tell him the truth.” Kranz already knew, of course. But... “Just like any other man, the moment his illusion of a cute, helpless girl was shattered, he turned away in disgust. I suppose I should know better than to expect any differently by now.” He’d reacted with disgust even when she’d tried keeping up the Teira act before.

"He's never been stable." That was the simple truth. Takeo had been the weakest link in their team.

"... You know the Union isn't known for choosing stable people to begin with." She sniffled. "But... he was weak. Not like Shark. People like you and Hammer... you're the exceptions."

He patted her back awkwardly. "Yuri will find you another."

She nodded. "You... really should go and enjoy the party. I'm not sure the others will without your order. Thank you."

"Alright. Thank you, Doctor Aris." He released her and took Takeo's body with him, leaving her alone to... Mourn, probably.

She flopped sideways on the bed. And with that text she’d gotten earlier, her prince wouldn’t be by to comfort her.

Indeed, her prince was dealing with his own demons. Down in the underground facility that held the most high risk prisoners, he approached the last cell, a syringe in hand. He'd lay his greatest crime to sleep forever. He opened the heavy cell door and entered, his aura illuminating the cell around him with a softer gleam than electric light did.

Garda did not move, did not react. There was no life in her eyes any longer, even as her chest continued to rise and fall with her breath. In hell, you had to take what rest you could. Not that it would help you.

For the first time, he noticed the _stench_ of this place. Usually, when he came here, he was in no state of mind to ever truly notice. He stepped closer. "Garda." Even now, his voice held a residue of sharpness.

She did not respond. She _stayed_ retreated in her own mind these days. Regardless of what pain he inflicted. There was no power or will in her. Not anymore.

Even now, he had a twinge of violence in him, almost a reflex reaction to the passiveness in front of him. He would not be ignored. Instead, however, he reached out and tilted up her chin to _force_ her to look up. He had emptied her and filled her with his own void. This was what he had done. "Do you want to die?" For any other, this would be a threat - but they both knew that at this point, death would be simply a mercy that was almost out of character for him.

The words did reach her. Something for the first time. But did she? She didn't know. She'd wanted to for _so long_ just to escape this torment. And now it was just offered to her? Tears silently streamed down her face in lieu of any verbal response.

"I'll take that as a _yes._ " Because who would not want to die in her place? Her mind was a shattered, tattered mess, her spirit was broken and her soul tainted. There was nothing left to save. Even if he just let her go... he doubted she would ever recover from what he had done to her. And so, he pulled the syringe from his pocket. "It'll all be over soon."

And her choice would be taken from her again. Whether she wanted to or not... was being determined for her. Just like every other time.

He injected the poison into her neck, from where it would spread the fastest. Fall asleep and never wake up again. What an enticing thought, at times. "Moonmother knows that's not what you deserved." The chains and shackles that bound her came undone. "But when was it ever a question of merit?"

She simply fell to the ground, even before the poison took effect. She no longer had the strength to do anything else.

He stopped her fall, caught her before she hit the floor - and found himself on the ground, back against the wall, this dying mess in his arms. One should not die alone, even if your abuser was all you had. "Three lived." The only thing that might matter. Even if she would be no longer a part of this world, her blood was still a part of their people. "They were taken from you, yes, but they lived."

Garda gave a broken sob. Why? Why was he even bothering to tell her?

"Their names are Gaura, Zyanya and Malik. They were raised by our people." He laughed brokenly. "Which is probably for the best. You'd know better than anyone I destroy anything I touch."

And she would never meet them. All because of him, once again. She closed her eyes, hoping the poison would take her soon so she wouldn't have to listen to more of this.

"You did not deserve this. Any of this." He doubted _anyone_ in this world deserved the kind of abuse he had put her through. If there was a hell, the devil should consider hiring. "I am sorry."

One more breath, and she was gone.


	33. Chapter 33

Maduke simply stayed where he was - and when Aris found herself in the bathroom again, it was impossible to tell what had happened to them, actually. There was no knocking on the bathroom door this time.

Slowly, she came out, looking around. Both First and Third were gone? How had she fucked up so badly? She'd thought... she'd thought she was doing right, trying to fix things with Takeo. There was only so much she could do on that front, but still...

The party was actually not even a party- just Ignes, approaching with confetti and a 'happy birthday' and Twelfth dancing on one of the tables, completely zoned out with all the drugs he had taken.

"Where is everyone?" Aris asked.

"Huh?" Ignes tilted her head questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Did your father not come?"

"AH. Father. He's _somewhere._ " She giggled drunkenly, reaching for Aris' hands. "Let's dance."

"... Okay." She let Ignes lead her. "Where's DA-5?"

"Where are they?", she called over to Twelfth who briefly opened one eye. "On their mission?"

So they weren't invited? There were so few people here. Was this... maybe everyone who actually liked her? That was a chilling thought. But one she figured was true.

"I _am_ the party," he announced, absolutely in the zone, as some would put.

"That you are, Twelfth!" Aris announced cheerily, taking out her phone to text Lunark.

Number not found. It seemed like the universe was really falling apart. Which was why Maduke made his way to the 'party' as fast as he could - equally shocked to find that almost everyone had disappeared. Finding Aris was easy in that situation.

Aris just sat with a drink, watching Twelfth dance while she waved some dollar bills at him. Despite her festive actions, her face was utterly neutral. Might as well have some fun, she supposed.

"Fuck, at least you still exist!" Maduke exclaimed - and this time, he was the one reaching for a hug. She accepted it, hugging him back before bursting out into tears. Everything was awful!

"... shit... I really thought this was going to solve things," he whispered, feeling weirdly... empty.

"I thought so too! I... I _killed_ Takeo. Because he couldn't stand to live after everything. But..."

"... I killed someone too." But that was more of a mercy killing more than anything.

This place... “Come on.” She began to lead him up to her room. It was too open, too empty in the large living room now.

Maduke followed her. "... there is really nothing we can do, is there?" At least he still felt the bond, so Lagus existed, but...

“I don’t know.” She led him to her bed. She wanted to cuddle.

He laid down and pulled her to lie on top of him. "... there is really nothing we can do, is there?"

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Who is left?”

"... there was no one left to ask," he whispered. "There's you and me. And I don't know if anyone else really matters all that much."

She swallowed. “I think... everyone left are those that actually care about us.”

"I always knew I'm alone," he admitted. "It's not like I didn't have it coming." Even though he felt betrayed by the fact that Zaiga was still gone. Or maybe he was back and he didn't even know. Maduke wasn't sure whether it mattered.

“Lagus is still here,” she pointed out. “Not quite alone, but...” Not enough to matter. “It would change nothing if we didn’t exist.”

"No." A bitter laugh rumbled in his chest. "The world would probably be a better place without people like us."

“Was that the point of this? Did we die and go on a wild goose chase just to learn that?” Were they actually in hell?

"So what? Do we just kill ourselves? Fuck that."

“No. I...” She bit her lip. “I’m saying I’m not sure anymore that we’re still _alive_. What if we’re in hell?”

"If there was a hell, I'd be employee of the month every month."

“I... I know I’m an awful person. I know that. But I’d always thought I was at least doing good for what I am.”

"We're awful people. No matter what happened to us. Other people had uncaring parents who married them off to creeps too. Other people had parents committing suicide too. They didn't turn into us."

Aris just laughed. “I was right all along.”

"About what?"

“... Myself.”

"Maybe. But this is not hell. If there's one thing I'm certain about, it's that this can't be hell just yet. I found you."

She flushed. “Purgatory then?”

"The crossroads?"

“Yeah.” She supposed that was what it was called.

"... I don't want everything to end. Not like this. When you were talking about all the things we could do once this was over... All I thought of was what a pity it'll be when I have to kill you. But..." It wasn't _easy_ to be candid like that. "... I want to experience those things. And I want to experience them with you."

She raised her head up to see him better. He... wanted that? Wanted her? Genuinely her?

"We'll find a way." He nodded. "We _must._ "

Aris smiled, shuffling upwards to kiss him. He was... absolutely the best! They’d just be together then.

Her returned her kiss. One hand on her back, one hand against the back of her head. Together, they would find a way out somehow. "We're not giving up just yet."

“I love you!” Maduke was the best. Even if he was the worst to everyone else...

Silence. And then... With a tiny voice, he replied: "I think I might love you too." Was this love?

“You...” She was crying again, wasn’t she? She couldn’t contain it. Her prince loved her? Genuinely? Even though he’d thought he never would?

He shifted to pull her up just a bit higher so he could kiss her. Was this hell, after all? That he finally, for the first time in his life, truly cared for someone, trapped in this never ending limbo where everything was falling apart? Would she soon disappear too?

Aris pressed her lips over and over to his almost desperately. _Hers._ He was hers, and for the first time, she had someone who loved _her_. Not some imagined version of herself. She'd shown him the worst of her, after all. She didn't deserve it, after everything, but... "Then we'll get out. We'll get out, and we'll love each other. We... we don't need any of these things. I can stop being a scientist, if that's what the universe wants." It wasn't like she could continue if it ended anyway.

Her kisses tasted like despair, and really, what else was there left for them, anyway? The universe was falling apart all around them. "All those things you talked about... don't you dare disappearing without showing them to me." All these things couples did, and how nice it had felt to just _think_ about getting to do that, too. She chose _him_ , even though she knew what he was like.

She nodded. “We could... we could go to my house in Paris. I have plenty of books there. And we can just read and chill for a while.” If the world was falling down around them, was there any reason not to?

"Paris? I haven't been there in ages." He ran his fingers through her long, silky strands of auburn hair.

She giggled. “There are plenty of bistros there as well, if they’re still staffed. Chocolate treats to try while we read. But we’ll have to be careful not to get crumbs on the books.”

"Won't the smears be gone anyway?" A hollow chuckle.

She huffed. “Well, you do have a point...”

"Fuck. If this universe is really falling apart... And there's nothing we can do... We might as well see it go down in a blaze."

Aris nodded. “At least we have each other. If nothing else... I can be here for you.” And vice versa.

"The palace is empty. I might as well tear it down." Maybe some destruction would soothe his nerves.

“We can do that. You want to do it entirely by hand? Or do you want me to help?”

"Go for it. At this rate, there might as well be just you left soon enough."

“Okay!” She jumped up, rummaging through her closet. “I’ve _never_ gotten to wear my battle suit!”

"Oh? You have a _battle_ suit?" He sat up and raised a brow.

"Yeah!" She took it out. "Cool, right!?" A hot-pink catsuit that would fit to her form.

An interesting color choice. "Then get suited up, doll. We have havoc to wreak."

She giggled, stripping so she could put it on. "I do have some strength. Enough to take out my babies if I need, but I'm not very practiced."

"Actually. Why did you kill Takeo?"

"... I confessed the truth to him. Apologised. And he tried to kill me."

"... So much for acceptance. Lunark tried to kill me too." He nodded.

"... He called me a monster. I'm... not sure the world actually accepts people like us." Not anymore. She'd thought she'd found a place, but... it seems that was nothing more than an illusion she'd built.

"No. There is no place for us. We will always have to lie and to deceive just so we can be ourselves in secret."

She finished pulling on her catsuit. "The blue accents look nice, I think." She turned a bit, testing her mobility.

"Yes. That's a ... compelling aesthetic." It suited her, he found. Too bad there was no one left to fight.

"Shall we go then?" She giggled. She looked cool _and_ cute.

"Yes." There was nothing for them at this empty party. He simply picked up Aris to carry her - this would be faster than organising a plane or anything anyway. "You trust me to carry you across the seas, don't you?"

She leaned for a kiss. "Of course I do!"

Good. Together, they left the city and made their way north along the coast, then crossed the sea until they arrived at the shores of his empty home. Why did he feel so strange? "I don't know whether I ever want to go back here again," he whispered.

“You don’t have to. We can just leave when we’re done.”

"And then make sure we don't die," he added bitterly and set her down.

“Yeah.” She kissed his cheek again.

They made their way to the castle, not encountering a single soul on the way. There it was, massive, imposing, even more dark and bleak than usual with how desolate it is. "I want to tear it down," he whispered as he slowly began to transform, aural energy sizzling around him in an electrified blue. "Every last stone."

"Every last stone." Her hands began to glow pink as a whip, previously stored in her clothing, unfurled itself.

Together, they unleashed everything at the stone of the castle - and as towers and walls collapsed, Maduke came undone as well. He couldn't scream at the sky, no, but at the rubble that had to bear the unbridled power of everything he'd bottled up - until there was nothing left but the throne, surrounded by mountains of rubble. "... So many have died for this throne. This ugly old block of stone..."

"Was it worth it?" She asked, whip glowing in her hand, pulsing with electrical aura.

"I'm still fucking miserable," he answered and approached. He would tear down _everything._ This throne that had chained his grandmother. This throne Muzaka had stolen from him. This throne he had coveted his whole life. This throne he was chained to. Screaming out the last bits of his rage before hitting the profound emptiness of his soul, he smashed the throne and Aris clapped as it shattered. “Beautifully done!” As the dust around him settled, Maduke was gone - a girl stood in his place, auburn hair held back with a ribbon. Maybe nine, she held an old hand-me-down porcelain doll. Slowly, she turned towards Aris. Aris's brow knit. Her love... he was gone? And herself in his place? What was this? "No..."

Temperance stepped closer, still holding her doll. "And what about me?" She whispered.

Aris was... irreconcilably angry at seeing her. “Shut up! You... you were nothing but an unlovable little wench! No one cared until I became me! And you see how unlovable I still am!” Her voice almost cracked. He was gone. Maduke was gone. "Give him back!"

“But he’s mine now. If he is yours, he is mine too.” Temperance pressed the doll closer to her chest, sticking out her lower lip. Aris felt anger seething inside of her. This stupid insolent child. Temperance was weak and meek, a fool who got herself into that kind of mess. A dumb little idiot who had to die so Aris could rise instead.

“No. You have nothing. You _**are**_ nothing. You are dead to me. You hear that? DEAD!”

“You’re still angry,” Temperance whispered, large eyes filling with tears. “But I tried. I really tried. I became you so we could live.”

“You did not become anything!” Aris backed off, strangely disturbed by the sight in front of her. She remembered that sad little girl who had no luck in life until she was left with nothing and no choice other than playing dirty whenever she could. This little girl.. who could she have become? A housewife at best. No one particular.

“I brought you here,” Temperance insisted. “You cannot be angry at me our whole life.” She reached out and Aris backed off again. “I brought us here. Everything I did… my mistakes… my suffering… the lessons I learned… I made you. You never made yourself. I did.”

“Shut up!” Aris lashed out almost violently, though her lightning whip flashed right through the little girl. “I don’t want to hear any of it!”

Why… why did she cry? Her hand shook as he covered her mouth with it. Why did she cry? Why did everything feel so _raw_ after all this time? She had been alright. She had found love. Then why… She glanced down to Temperance taking her hand. “To love yourself, you must love us both,” the girl whispered and dropped the porcelain doll to hug her older self instead. And was she not right? Aris took the girl in her arms shakily. Maybe if they had not fallen, she would never have risen in the first place. She would not have found this power and lived this kind of life. She would never have met Maduke who loved her as she was. Despite her past. Despite her flaws. He had learned to love her, when he had never loved before.

“Please,” she whispered. “Give him back to me, Temperance.” This world could not end like this. Not when she had finally found what she was missing. Not when another chance was within reach like that. Temperance pet her back soothingly. “I love him too. I want him back too,” the little girl assured and as they became one, Aris and Temperance, the world faded into black.


	34. Chapter 34

Aris came to in the bathroom again and bit out a sob. She felt better, but... again? Would they keep repeating this again and again? Was she without what was keeping her going now? She flipped open her phone, shooting a text to Lunark and hoping against hope. The message was delivered. A bang against the door. Music and chatter outside. The party was back. Aris opened the door, eyes widening in shock as she noted First and Third. This was... back to normal? Whatever normal was. They pushed past her into the bathroom, as usual, and Ignes approached, as usual, and tossed confetti. "Happy birthday!"

“Oh! Ignes! Hi!” She... was one of the few who cared about her. She wrapped her arms around her tightly.

Ignes giggled happily. "Hi!"

“Enjoying the party?”

"Yeah!", she chirped cheerfully as Yuri approached with a bouquet of flowers.

"Hello, Yuri. Hey, go tell Kranz and everyone they have the day off."

"He should be on the way but I'll notify him. Do you still want them to come here?"

"No. I want to see them, but Takeo won't take it well. It's not fair to the others. You have the day off afterwards too."

"... Alright, Doctor Aris. And happy birthday. I'll have these put in a vase for you." He raised the flowers a bit.

"Thank you, Yuri." She was still going to have him killed, even if she felt good now. He was too dangerous to leave alive. He, that woman, and Crombel.

He nodded and left while Ignes tilted her head. "Not going to see DA-5? You always call them your babies."

“Oh, it’s not that I don’t want to. But you already know about Takeo.”

"Oh. Right. You're his _sister._ Want me to pretend I'm you so you can pretend you're her?"

Aris giggled. “You can, if you want. But we’re gonna have to go make sure you’re not as tipsy.” She wouldn’t have a repeat of last time.

"Ahww. But it's fun. Father never lets me get drunk." She stuck out her bottom lip. And Roctis kept her from the liquor for a good reason. "You feel different. Like..."

“Ignes...” Aris giggled. “I’m just saying, drinking too much is bad. Doesn’t feel good. You might hurt people you care about by accident. You don’t want that, do you?”

"Nuh-uh. Okay. Okay. I'm just gonna dance, Kay?" Since she had told DA-5 to not come anyway.

“Okay! Have fun! I’m hoping to get a text.”

"Oh? From who? Looks like pretty much everyone is at this party after all."

“Pretty much, yeah! My boyfriend isn’t here though.”

"You have a boyfriend?" She whistled. "Keeping secrets from me, aren't you?"

Aris giggled. “It’s a long story. Things are complicated. I’ll tell you for sure once everything’s figured out, okay?”

"Like telling Takeo you're his dying sister -complicated, or...?"

“Time-travel weirdness complicated.”

"O-okay. Well. Dancing. See ya!" She waved a hand before heading off to one of the rooms repurposed as dancefloor.

Well then. Time to get Twelfth. She knew well by now where to find everyone. “Twelfth! Great party, I love it. Can I talk to you in private?” Yuri was here. Which meant he hadn’t gotten assassinated.

"Of course, Aris." He turned away from Marie and the other women and followed Aris. "How do you like the party?"

“Didn’t I already say that I love it?” She asked with a giggle. Looking around to make sure none of the others were around, she started, “you were talking to one of Crombel’s spies, by the way. He’s set one for as many elders as he can. I found out Yuri is the one for us.”

"What?" He blinked.

“The woman with the blue hair. Yuri. Both are spies set by Crombel to steal secrets. You know what a climber he is.” Twelfths had ranted about it often enough whenever he, as a scientist, had gotten in the way of Aris, Ignes, and Ninth.

"... How do you know?" Both Yuri, her assistant, and that gorgeous blue-haired beauty?

She hummed. “Hard to explain.” Though... “You feel...” Oh! Was he also...? How had she not noticed before?

"... _You_ feel different." As if he could feel faint traces of... _someone._

“You are bonded to a noble. Fourth?” She tilted her head.

"Yes. And you are...?" There were not that many nobles on this party and the bond was clearly new because earlier today, he had not felt it.

“Lagus, Ignes’s first teacher.”

"... Who's _that_?" And here he'd have bet his money on Ignes herself.

“Um. Currently in Tanzania. There’s been some... time travel incidents lately. Which is how I know about Marie and Yuri and how I so suddenly have a bond despite the distance.”

"... I... see?" He did not understand at all but he would trust Aris on that. "Do you have any proof we can use against Crombel?"

She huffed. “Not currently, no. Last time I told you all this in person, Marie tried to get me alone to have me killed, and that was our proof. It would probably work the same if I did so in front of Yuri.”

"That is... Apart from espionage, anything else we can get him for?"

“His most recent experiment. ‘M series’. It uses organs from various other species to try and make chimeras. Including those of species B and C. Neither Fourth nor Second are aware of that fact.” Well, Second was. Because they’d investigated it together. But Fourth did not.

"... Oh. Now _that_ is something we can get him for." He nodded, rubbing his hands. "That sleazy... I will let Fourth know."

“Of course. Oh. Bonus, if you were wondering. First came to the party. I won’t tell you who he is.”

"... The First Elder is here too?!"

She giggled and nodded. “It’s why we’re getting the summit call. He liked your party so much he decided the Elders needed to get together more often.”

"Hah!" He clapped his hands. "Wait. Summit call? What summit call?" It had not happened yet.

“Two more hours. We’ll get it then. An email.”

"... I see. You really are time-travelling, huh?" He rubbed his nose. "Okay. I'll talk to Fourth about the Crombel matter."

She nodded. “I’ll go enjoy the party then. Hope this new information helps you enjoy it more too!”

"Oh it will." Except now he would wonder who might be the First Elder about almost any of the guests... And so they partied. Roctis decided to confront Crombel at the summit, in the presence of the other Elders. And no reply from Lunark or Maduke.

It was... disappointing to not get a message. As she woke up the next day she went down to wake up Twelfth and send him to bed properly.

Once Twelfth had some aspirin and a glass of water, Aris was left alone with a house full of completely wrecked guests - and among them, a kindly old man who seemed to just have gotten there. Lagus had felt a bond spring into life out of nowhere and had made his way towards its source to find out what had happened.

“Oh! Hey Lagus.” Tea. He drank that the most so she’d get some going.

"Yes. That is who I am, Bonded. I am at a loss, though, as to who _you_ are."

“Doctor Aris. I’m sorry, there seems to be some time travel weirdness. But the bond stayed in place firmly.”

"... Time travel?" Well, she must be a scientist, so that was a good start, it seemed.

“Time travel.” She confirmed. “Did you decide not to visit Maduke as well? Or am I the priority visit since you don’t know me?” As the tea finished preparing, she handed him a cup of it.

"... How is Maduke a part of this?" He questioned, tilting his head. So she knew him. How interesting.

“You bonded him too.” He... didn’t know? What was going on?!

"I did? I certainly would feel that. No. You must be mistaken." He shook his head.

“You... you did, because you needed to get access to a memory. Whatever you saw made you decide to give up your current research. Because it was too dangerous to everyone.” Aris’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would my bond remain but not his? You bonded me to make me better able to help him.”

"... I'm afraid I cannot quite follow you." He sat on a stool at the kitchen counter where she seemed to make tea.

She huffed, getting some coffee going as well. “Basically, you would not have bonded me if it weren’t for you bonding him. Or maybe you would, I guess. You did seem to have a great amount of interest in my skills.” But that wasn’t important. “The important bit is, is if you continue your current research, it will drive both you and Maduke mad. Genocidally so. You never went into specifics of which one it was though, so if you have multiple projects going...” she wouldn’t be able to tell which one it was that he needed to stop.

Projects... the Bloodstones? Lagus raised an eyebrow. "That all sounds very hard to believe..." But then, he DID have a bond with someone he never met before...

“I’d suggest you talk to Maduke, but...” She frowned. “I have no idea what’s going on on that front. I can’t get ahold of him.” Her cheeks puffed out. “I can understand if he’s busy but it’s _rude_ to ignore your girlfriend!”

"You say I bonded him too? And he is your boyfriend who is not answering your messages?"

“Yup. We are... were, maybe? In a time loop.”

"... Something is off, then. How about you tell me everything from the beginning?"

She nodded and began. As she finished up, she ended with, “I could try copying down my transcriptions of the manuscripts we found in the Siriana library. I... erm. Can’t read it though, so understanding them is up to you.”

"..." He nodded. That all was quite a lot to take up, and even insanely hard to believe. But if she also managed to make copies of Siriana writings...

“I’ll go get a pen and some paper then.” It wasn’t long before she was back on the stool beside him, fastidiously copying down everything she’d memorised. She handed him the sheets individually as she finished each one to look over while she worked on the next.

Lagus' brows rose. While the writing was shaky and uncertain, it was Lukedonian clearly. Which she did not even understand, judging from the way she wrote. Then... "That's a lot to take in," he muttered. The Bloodstones... He'd have to trust her on that, huh?

“I don’t know if any of the information here is helpful or not, unfortunately. At least, not in the way the scenario seems to have changed.” She knew it wasn’t helpful at first.

"... You definitely were in the Siriana library, though." Which was a good enough proof. "But that does not explain why this bond, that persisted so far, is suddenly gone. I definitely would feel if I had bonded him."

“No, it doesn’t. I don’t understand it either.” She laid her head on the countertop.

"This is only a vague assumption, but... what if he is out of this loop too, now?"

She frowned. “He’d have stopped existing entirely, right? That’s what happened the other times someone left.”

"No. The other times, as you mentioned, other people were not even aware they ever existed. I remember him clearly, though."

She nodded. “Because he was looping, instead of just existing in the loop? Or is there another reason, you think?”

"... I don't know. You said there will be a summit?" There was a chance they would meet him there, if he still existed.

“Yeah. I’ll go there then.” She was already though, so... she stood. “Come on. We’re gonna go get milkshakes, and then I need to pack for the summit.”

"Milkshakes?" Why would you shake milk? Oh well. It was an opportunity to get to know his bonded so he'd just tag along.

"Milkshakes." She just took the car from last time, knowing that Twelfth would be okay with it. "Ice cream mixed with milk to make a cold, sweet, drink. And we're going to the best place I know of for that."

"I am looking forward to it," Lagus commented with a chuckle. "And then I will be off. It seems I have things to do, now." His bloodstone research... With what she told him of her DA-5 experiments, this might be an alternate path to pursue now. And as he said, he did leave after enjoying a milkshake and the comment that, if he was ever in the Anericas again, he would be glad to enjoy another with her. Along with an invitation to come and become his student. This left Aris free to prepare for the summit.


	35. Chapter 35

The summit! It was a bit harder without Yuri, but being near Twelfth felt safer in general. And Maduke would _definitely_ be here! She could hardly contain her excitement! “So, are you excited about this, Twelfth?” It _had_ been called because of First enjoying the party, after all.

"I wonder if the First Elder will actually reveal his secret identity," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. Taze was with them, as usual - she did hardly ever leave his side, after all. DA-5 and the rest of Cerberus were on standby in the close vicinity.

“No. Second was upset about that fact.” Aris giggled.

"But since you know who it is... You should tell me." He shook his head and stopped at the bar in the lobby to get them something to drink. Aris had wanted to wait here for her 'boyfriend' to arrive.

“Why, it’s Third’s dear ‘Gio’. You could have easily gotten that information while he was coked out. He’s not a very good actor when he’s high or hung over.”

"That guy?" He laughed out loud, almost snorting out his water. "That guy was _wasted._ But boy does he party."

"I've only ever seen him wasted, so I have no clue if he's actually a competent leader or if Third is the actual leader of the Union."

"... Well, we're going to ... not find out, apparently." Bummer. And then, they arrived - the Second and Fifth Elders, accompanied by a squad of warrior, all wearing white cloaks and hoods. Their silent companions.

"Oh! Hey!" She happily greeted them. Her boyfriend was here!

Though Lunark briefly glanced at her, attention caught by the call, both ignored her.

Her cheeks puffed out, following. What in the world? "Do you not recognise me?" Not Lunark, but Maduke.

One of the warriors slowed. "Do not harass the Elders," he reprimanded.

Excuse him? Who the hell did he think she was!? She went back to Twelfth and took a seat. "He doesn't recognise me. Even though _he_ was experiencing the time travel too, he doesn't recognise me." It was disheartening.

"... I can try to organise a private encounter," he offered. "He would be willing to meet Fourth, I am sure about that." And he could speak in Fourth's name, their close ties were well known among the Elders after all.

"Yes. I... there's something I need to get though. Something to _force_ him to listen." She nodded.

"It's now or never. He will go back to his homeland and won't budge, most likely."

"Then I'll go to _him_. He'll like the audacity."

"Shit, you're not messing around, huh?" Twelfth whistled.

She giggled. "I know him well by now. A simple meeting you set up? He'll blow it off, even if he will show up. If I show up suddenly with something that was originally an inside joke from centuries ago? On _his_ island? Now. He can't help but listen there, now can he?"

"... I'll admit, that has balls. Anyone would pay attention to you if you pulled a stunt like that," he conceded.

“... I’ll have to get Tao and Shark. I’ll need to pull off a museum heist for this.” Sure, the Union _could_ just get it for her. But why go that route when you can cause a stir?

"... Aris?" Twelfth raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning?"

“To steal Tutankhamen’s dagger,” she stated. “As a gift. It matches one in Second’s dagger collection.”

"... I see." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Good luck with that. DA-5 is on call, if you want to get to work."

“I will!” She took out her phone. “What’s Kranz’s current burner number?”

"... Taze?" She would know. She checked a little notebook before dictating it.

“Thanks!” She dialed Kranz, explaining to him that she needed to see just Shark and Tao. They’d be best for this mission.

It would be done - Tao found out where to find the item and then they were set to go, boarding one of the union's private planes while Roctis and Maduke would make sure Crombel would get what he had coming for him. "Doctor Aris," Tao started, shifting in the seat of the small private plane. "Why exactly are we after that knife?"

“That’s something hard to explain. I suppose you could say it’s a diplomacy gift for a someone who knew the man personally.”

"... Whut?" Shark stared at her blankly.

“Both Species B and C live for a very long time. Tutankhamen was a friend of one of them. Enough that they had matching daggers. Giving it as a gift will provide an in to a group of people we could not previously access easily.”

".... Oh." Tao blinked. "That's wild. Okay. So we are going to steal that thing?"

“Yup! And then I’ll take it to the werewolf homelands. They’re not _quite_ extinct, in the sense that there _are_ a few members left, but the ones left are very reclusive.” A white lie to fit the Union narrative.

"... Okay. That sounds like something an Elder would do," Tao mused. And then - "Oh! You're distinguishing yourself for a possible promotion, right?"

“Got it in one! You really are a smart cookie, Tao.” Promotion to Elder’s wife, more like. “That’s why I’m also participating here. To show off both my skills and the skills of you two.” Her creations.

"Oh. That's smart." Shark tried to join in. "We're the best for the job." Even if a break-in heist was how they ended up in the DA-5 in the first place.

She nodded, giggling. “The only thing off about DA-5 and Cerberus is your atrocious teamwork. But we can work on that later. Your skills otherwise are top-notch.”

"Our teamwork? What's wrong with that?" Tao snorted. "We've done great on all missions and exercises!"

“You have. However, this is all against human enemies. Even the noblesse battle was against weaker ones. If you’re to be a _truly_ elite team, one to represent human strength even against other races, you’ll need to be able to face off against even _their_ elites. I’ve seen the destruction some of the more powerful members of Species B and C would cause. As you are now, you’d be torn apart like paper.”

"Where did you see them? When?" Shark was surprised to hear that they were out there in the first place!

“That is... a _long_ story. One that is confidential.”

"Oh. Okay." Tao nodded and yawned. "Okay. Do I have time for a nap? We're going to Switzerland after all. That's a far way from here."

“Get some rest, Tao. You’re the brains here, you need all you can get! Oh. Shark. If you’re tired you should rest too! Don’t want your dexterity dropping.”

"Got it." And so they spent the flight preparing for the mission at the museum. They landed at a small private airport. "So. What I suggest, we go in by day once to check out the perimeters," Tao started.

“Yes. That would be best. I’ll memorise the layout. There should be some maps laying around I can copy.” She nodded.

"And I will check the electronic security systems," Tao agreed with a nod. This was a high interest exhibition, so... this would be interesting. And a first time doing something like that.

While the two were doing that, Shark inspected the exhibits themselves for what kind of physical deterrent measures they used, Aris joining him after she’d gotten the information she needed. “So. What do you think. Cool knife, right?”

"We could forge a copy and keep the original," he suggested with a toothy grin.

Aris just laughed. “A good concept, but when he has the same dagger in _much better condition_... he’s not going to be fooled. I’ll get you some nicer daggers sometime though, as a treat.”

Well then... he'd just have to accept it and focus on the mission. Once they were through, they met up outside the building. Tao rubbed his hands. "That should be no problem. They use poorly secured wifi networks to control everything."

Aris raised an eyebrow, distinctly unimpressed. “Really now? You’d think people would learn that you need closed circuit to keep things secure. Especially like this.”

He just snickered. "I chatted with one of the guards. He's quite proud that it's supposed to be state of the art."

She sighed. “When will they learn to secure their networks?”

"Maybe when they have something valuable stolen," he snickered. "I can work with that."

“We definitely can.” Some of it looked like alarms. They could fry those pretty easily. Maybe an emp? It wasn’t like the important things here would be affected.

"There are security cameras. If I get to the main unit through the poorly secured network, I can take care of those."

Aris nodded. “There look to be pressure alarms tied to the glass cases.”

"... and if we cut through the glass?", Shark suggested. "You will need a distraction, in any case," Tao added. "Maybe trigger an alarm in another part of the museum."

“Good plan. Easy to do.”

"You sneak in the quiet, stealthy way, while Shark can launch a more obvious attempt in another part of the building. You can get away while he gets arrested, then we bust him out."

She nodded. “Shark. You okay with prison again for a bit?”

He grinned wickedly. "Only if I'm in long enough to have some fun."

“Oh, we can allow that for sure! How long you need?” She asked sweetly.

"Gimme three days."

"Will they put him in prison right away for attempted museum robbery?" Tao questioned carefully.

“No. Holding cell. But we can keep up on his trial and whatnot.”

"You're no fun." Shark waved his hand. "I'll bust out myself during arrest."

Aris giggled. “Sorry. Legal systems are legal systems. They won’t toss you in _prison_ prison until you’ve been tried and found guilty!”

Shark just growled. "Fine. Fine. Okay. When do we strike?"

“Tonight.”

Not wasting any time - and as planned, Shark created a distraction break-in while Aris, tiny as she was, could wiggle through the ventilation systems to get past most security measures. In the exhibition hall, she cut a hole into the glass using a laser Tao had given her - and with the dagger, she escaped while Shark was getting arrested. Tao would stay to help him escape while Aris moved on to be flown to Paris - from where she could plan her next moves.


	36. Chapter 36

She laughed in her apartment, calling Twelfth. “I did it! It was a complete success!”

"Fantastic! And at the summit, Crombel was taken into custody with Fourth. Yuri and this girl, Marie, were taken in for interrogation as well."

“Good. Now I just need a ride to the werewolf lands. And maybe to pack some cheeses and chocolate goods. Did I tell you about him having eaten that whole block of Gouda you have in your fridge for breakfast once? Bit into it like an apple.”

"... Gross," Twelfth whispered into his phone. "Where are you now? There's a tiny problem: I don't know where the werewolves actually live. I know Fourth knows. And Sixth, because he is friends with Fifth."

“Sixth would be good. Tell him we need to visit Fifth for something, perhaps. What does she usually do?”

"No idea. She seems to be a bit of Second's yes-woman, like Sixth is to Fourth, essentially. In any case, I will send you his contact details, good luck."

“Okay! Thank you!” She giggled as she clicked on the new contact she’d received. “Hello~o!”

"... Hello...?" The voice at the other end of the line asked.

“You’re Sixth, yeah? Can you help me get to the werewolf lands for something?”

"... What?" A few moments of silence. "Who is this, anyway?"

"Doctor Aris. You got wasted the other day at my party."

"Oooh. Yeah. I remember. And you want to the werewolf lands because....?"

"I need to talk to someone about something. Fifth or Second should know!" She giggled.

"Both are connected through union communication lines though."

"But not _in person_. I need to deliver something."

"What could you possibly have to deliver? That you'd go to the werewolf lands yourself?"

"A dagger. For Second's collection."

Urokai hummed. "I suppose. Do you have a plane or something?"

"Yeah! Got here to Paris with one."

"Paris? That's nothing. I can be there in an hour."

"All right! I'll have it fuelled and we can go!"

"Good. What airport?" He could be heard rummaging in the background.

"It's..." She gave the location, already preparing things. "You wanna stop at a café if they're not ready by the time you get here?"

"... Okay. You're the tiny redhead, right?"

"Yup! You remember me!" Oh! "Is it because of Ignes?"

"Yeah. You spent most of the evening together." Too bad Lunark hadn't shown up.

"I mean. _Duh_. That's what friends do! You know I once saw her eat a whole jar of Nutella in one sitting while sobbing to a romance?"

"... _Romance?_ " He laughed. "Anyway, I'm off. Tell me all about it when I'm there."

"I will!" She sing-sang. He was easy to get along with.

Urokai arrived in a timely fashion and they boarded the small private plane. Once there, the pilot began preparing the permissions and route plans to get them to the destination Urokai named. And once they were in the air... "What was that about Ignes and romance?”

"Oh. Let me tell you!" Aris went into _lurid_ detail about all their movie watching adventures.

She kept him perfectly entertained for the duration of these journey. They had two stops in the states, taking a good while to reach the werewolf lands. The pilot barely received a landing permission - and once they were grounded, he announce a 'shit, good luck out there' via the speakers.

"Okay. So now we wait to be escorted to the Lord." She hummed happily, a little messenger bag carrying the cheeses and chocolate sweets, along with the dagger, clutched carefully to her side.

They were picked up ten minutes later - a squad led by a black haired man with empty eyes, quite literally, as well as three recruits. The workers at the small airstrip attached the stairs and Urokai left the plane first, followed by Aris. "State your business," the warrior demanded.

"I'm here to see your lord!" She said cheerfully. "Sixth here will probably hang out with Lunark."

"You? A measly human?" He sneered. "What makes you think the Lord will even agree to see you?"

"Because I'm _not_ a measly human. I'm Doctor Aris, of the Union. And I'm also the bonded of Lagus Tradio." She assumed Tradio was correct. Was she correct? She looked to Sixth for confirmation.

Urokai blinked. She was... ? The werewolf seemed distinctly unimpressed. "The Lord will decide whether he will see you." And her fate, too. The Lord was not kind to people who wasted his time.

"Oh, _he will_. I'm gonna marry him."

The warrior and Urokai actually laughed both and he turned to lead to the castle, still dark and imposing. Before the throne room, Juraki was walking up and down, wondering what the Lord had to discuss with Kentas and Lunark. It was rare he called upon both of them. Gayare quickly informed him of the newcomers and he nodded, entering the throne room alone. "Lord. The Sixth Elder, Agvain clan leader, and a human scientist, request an audience with you." Maduke looked up. Just as he'd meant to instruct Lunark and Kentas to supervise the investigation into werewolf material in the hands of Crombel...

"What would you like done, Lord?" Juraki asked.

"Let them in." He was at least mildly curious to hear what might bring such unusual guests here.

"Of course, Lord." He left, letting the guests in.

Lunark frowned as she turned her head to glance over her shoulder. What was Urokai doing here?! And some human woman. Juraki, Kentas and Maduke clearly wondered the same.

"Hel~lo!" Aris greeted happily. "My name's Aris. I'm a scientist under Twelfth. I brought you something." She reached into her bag, bringing out a cloth-wrapped... dagger? The blade was visible as the cloth fell aside, just a bit.

Huh. Maduke watched her impassively. She brought him a new piece for his collection? How original.

Her smirk widened as she completely unwrapped it. "I think you'll find it matches your favourite piece. With this, you'll marry me, right?"

The warriors stared at her, utterly baffled. Maduke just leaned forward a bit to see better - and laughed. Booming, genuine laughter for the first time in ages.

Aris giggled as well. "I take it I have your attention then."

His laughter died down and he leaned back again. "Step closer." He assumed the allusion to the old joke was but a means to make an entrance. "Now that you have my attention, what are you going to do with it?"

She came closer with a happy blush. “Court you.” Duh. “There was a lot of... time travel hijinks recently and I grew fond of you.” She reached in to take out a block of cheese to offer it. He was fond of cheese as well. “It’s how I know a lot of things I otherwise wouldn’t.”

"..." He raised a brow. The woman had an _admirable_ amount of nerve. And she was pretty cute, too. A chuckle. "Time travel, you say?"

“Time travel.” She nodded. “You we’re doing it too.” Her cheeks blew out. “But then you somehow forgot! It’s rude to ignore your girlfriend, you know! Even if you aren’t aware!” She chided gently. “But it’s okay. I get it.” Since he was him.

"... Right." That sounded pretty insane. And she was aware of that, hopefully. "So. Who told you about the dagger?"

“You did,” she stated. “Time travel, remember?”

"And you expect me to just believe it?" Though... "Everyone else, dismiss."

As the other left, she asked. “What do you want to know specifically? What would prove my claim to you?”

"Isn't that up to you?" He watched her attentively, looking for even minute signs of lies. She stood before him without fear.

She hummed. “Very well. You can’t court Lunark. Or _keep_ courting her, at least. I’m pretty sure incest is squicky for your people too.”

"... Come again?" The mere fact she knew... But Lunark might have told Sixth, whom she had come with.

“Her father was your younger brother, apparently. You never told me his name though, so I can’t confirm or deny an identity. She could, though. If you managed to convince her. She doesn’t know the shaman is her grandmother, by the way.”

"...." Maduke stared at her and his mouth twitched. "LUNARK." She might not have left the antechamber yet.

Lunark popped her head in. “Yes, Lord?” Did he need something quickly?

"Step forward." He definitely had questions. A multitude of them. "First of all, and you should not dare denying, have you told anyone else about my proposition?"

“No. Why would I do that?!” Lunark flushed.

“She also doesn’t know you’re her uncle,” Aris stated.

“He _what?!_ ” Lunark’s face clearly twisted in confusion and a hint of disgust.

"Is that true?!" His eyes narrowed. "Lunark. Who was your sire?"

“I... Lord. My mothers told me never to say. Especially to you.” Which was apparently _very_ counterproductive.

"That's a bit too late now, isn't it?" He clearly was running thin on patience right now.

She swallowed. “Rasmut. My sire was a man named Rasmut.”

Shit. That was actually enough to have him pause for a moment. He exhaled slowly. "Who did you tell about this? Who might your mothers have told?"

“I’ve... told no one, Lord. It is a secret I’ve held close to my chest since I was a child.”

"..." He exhaled slowly. "And your mothers did not tell anyone else either?"

“Why would they?” She asked. If this all was true... “If they did, it would make it harder to protect me, wouldn’t it?”

"I'm disappointed with them thinking so lowly of me." Good thing those bitches were dead, then. "You can go."

She nodded, leaving. “I _do_ have more bits, if you want. Like, how you missed meeting First by missing my birthday party. He’s dating Third, by the way.”

"..." Maduke simply raised a hand to signal for the woman to stop talking. He needed a bit to process what he'd heard so far.

She let out a giggle and waited patiently.

This human woman knew he liked cheese. That was alright, not impossible to find out. She knew about the old joke he used to make about the dagger. He wasn't sure anyone but Lagus and Zaiga even knew about this anymore. His brother was Lunark's father. She knew that somehow. And she knew that the shaman was his mother. But Lagus and Zaiga couldn't have known about Lunark. So... "I don't know if or why anyone would do this kind of research."

“I like you and am interested in courting you. That would be reason enough. But no. It really is time travel. Even my bond with Lagus wouldn’t allow me the information I have.”

"Lagus? He, in fact, would know those things." He might easily have gotten Lunark's secret through some mind trickery.

“I have one he wouldn’t, then. Your grandmother... she might have been a great Lord, but she was an awful person, wasn’t she? Telling you that warriors shouldn’t cry? What a load of crap.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. "Anyone knows that."

“And right after you’d found your father’s body too,” she added, almost like an afterthought.

That... He hadn't told anyone about what exactly she had told him right after... He felt sick. "..."

“... Maduke. I’m sorry. Was that too heavy? We can just go eat some cake and chat instead,” she offered. “My window for learning things was very limited. So... the information I have is either highly personal, or could have been given to me by someone else.”

She knew his name too. In fact... She knew an uncomfortable amount of things. "You're on thin ice."

Her cheeks puffed out. “Mean!”

"Oh if you know me as well as you claim, you should know all about it."

“I do. But that’s no reason to be mean _to me_.” She pouted. “Especially since I came _all the way here_ just to court you and make sure you were okay even with the memory loss!”

"Court me. A human." He shook his head. "How about you start at the beginning?"

“Okay. But I demand _at least_ a date in apology!”

He raised a brow once more. So far, he had barely gotten around to even processing what was going on. And what she had said. "Is that the reward you seek for bringing me the dagger?"

She nodded happily. “Yup!” She took a chocolate cheesecake- a _good_ one this time, out of her bag. “Here! Story snack!”

"..." He would hear her out. He would hear what she had to say and who could tell what would bloom from there?


	37. Chapter 37

In another universe, a couple of days earlier, Maduke found himself in the bathroom one more time. "Fuck." He closed his eyes for a few seconds. Get dressed. Figure out what to do. When he stepped out of his room, however... No. No way. That was .... coming right around the corner.... "Juraki?!"

“Yes, Lord?” He asked, coming to a halt.

"... It's good to have you back. Summon Zaiga." Was he back too? Maduke sounded almost _hopeful_ actually.

“Of course, Lord. I’ll do so at once.” He nodded, leaving.

"YES!!!" He actually cheered at that. Had it worked? He headed for the throne room, but ended up pacing in front of the throne rather than sitting down.

Zaiga arrived soon on Juraki’s order. “Lord?” Why was he not in his throne?

There he was! Maduke approach his best friend in wide stride and pulled him into a tight hug. "You're back!" It had worked.

“... Lord, I never left.” Still, Zaiga patted Maduke back as well.

"Oh it's a long story," he sighed and pulled away. "I didn't think I'd ever be _that_ happy to see you."

“I’m happy to see you too,” he assured.

"Liar." He laughed. "But it's alright. I'm glad you're back. Now. I have a party to attend. You... Put Garda out of her misery." He hummed. "I'm thinking of firing Lunark, too."

“Firing Lunark?” Of course he could put Garda out of her misery, though. “Your will will be done, Lord.”

"Yes, her loyalty is shaky at best. But I'll take care of her when I'm back." He patted Zaiga's shoulder. "I had a convoluted run-in with the Moonmother," he explained.

“You will have to explain that one in detail, Lord.”

"... To put it short: time loops in which the universe detoriated more and more, with people and events erased from existence. She made it rather clear that I can't go on like I have. And I hope... That you being back means we broke out."

“I certainly hope so. That is... worrying.”

"Wish me luck." An unusually optimistic smile. "I have to go see someone."

“Good luck, then.”

He left the werewolf lands and stopped to get flowers again before coming to the party. It was absolutely full of people. Dancing. Music. Drugs. Conversations. Drink and food. And now he only had to find Aris.

Aris was just dancing a bit with Ignes, having drunk a nice, fruity cocktail Yuri had brought her.

There she was! "Aris!" Having a well-deserved good time now that reality seemed restored.

Another well wisher! "Hello there! Welcome to the party!" Ooh! He was cute!

Oh. There was... No sign of recognition on her face. None at all. What went wrong? "... Thank you." Fuck.

Huh. He was... kind of handsome. Except for... “Have you considered darkening your brows before?”

He remembered the elevator and the time she had painted eyebrows on him just for fun... "The thought crossed my mind, yes."

She giggled. "Not that you're not already handsome like this! Darker eyebrows would just frame your face better. You wanna join?"

"I am not much of a dancer." He gestured towards one of the quieter areas in a silent invitation.

She tilted her head. "Okay!" If he wanted to chat, that was fine. "Have fun, Ignes!" She'd be fine without her.

On the way, Maduke had one of the party staff take the flowers from him. Once they were in a quieter place, he sat down, waiting for her to join him. "You don't remember me, do you?" It was a simple question.

"Remember? I think I'd remember a man like you." She giggled.

For a brief moment, disappointment flashed over his face. Was this hell? To feel affection for someone and to be erased from their memories? Still.. he'd done it once, he did it again. "This party is a bit too drugged for my tastes. I'd suggest a fine restaurant... but something tells me you're a milkshake kind of girl."

"I like both, actually! I don't think there's anyone who _doesn't_ like milkshakes."

"I am Maduke. The Second Elder. How about we disappear from this party for a while?"

"Sure!" A date, huh? With a powerful _and_ handsome man? Not a problem.

"But before that..." He looked around. Ah. This Yuri, her assistant, was talking to Twelfth and Ninth right now. "Would you mind doing me a tiny favour?"

"A favour?" She asked.

"... Is it true that Crombel's M-Series uses samples of species B and C?"

Hmm? "Yeah? All of the scientists know that."

"Ninth too?" He tilted his question. Now _that_ was a question of crowning importance, wasn't it?

"Ninth? I'd... _think_ he would know, but I'm not sure. He is an Elder. Not everyone pays attention to the lesser scientists, even if that's their realm."

"... I think it would be important that he and Twelfth know, if they don't. They just so happen to be over there..."

"Sure!" She walked over, completely heedless of Yuri's presence there.

The three of them stopped when Aris approached - and Ninth stepped away slightly so she could stand with them. "A splendid birthday party you have, Doctor Aris," he commended.

"Thank you! Ah. By the way, were you aware that Doctor Crombel's chimaera project used samples of species B and C?"

".. It does?" Ninth blinked. "But he's not even..."

She tilted her head. "So you didn't then?" Was that important?

"No. He is not authorized to have them. You've done a good job informing me, Doctor Aris. I need to go and see Fourth about this."

Oh! So he _definitely_ wasn't. She giggled. "Whoops. Looks like confirming information got someone exposed. Eh, Yuri?"

Yuri chuckled politely. "Your genius never ceases to amaze me," he confirmed. Shit. He would have to let Crombel know.

"It's a great party, Twelfth!" She exclaimed as she walked back over to Maduke.

He still sat where he had sat before, smoking a cigar by now. "How did it go?"

"Looks like Doctor Crombel is in some _trouble_. Those weren't authorised samples."

"Oh is that so?" He chuckled and put out his cigar. "Then it's a good thing you told them. Now... milkshakes, restaurant, whatever you fancy..."

"For first dates, starting simple is best!" So milkshakes!

"I'm afraid I'm not exactly familiar with the area. Do you know a good place?"

She nodded. "The best place for milkshakes would be..." Wait. "Hmm. Of those open this time of night..." The place off that one road?

He waited for her to finish thinking. Though... "I know this is a bit on the spontaneous side. I don't expect miracles."

Aris giggled. “Are there miracle milkshakes?”

"I don't know. You tell me." He smirked and stood, fixing his sleeve.

“I don’t think so. But I know where the _best_ ones are here! Well. For this time. All the _really_ good ones are closed right now, but we can go get some reasonably good ones right now.”

"I'm game. We can take a stroll or take one of the cars."

“It’s close enough for a stroll!” Ah. “I’m... a _teensy tiny_ bit tipsy.”

"Guess I will have to keep an extra eye on you, won't I?" He offered his arm to her.

“Yes.” She nodded, taking his arm. What a gentleman! “You’re sweet, you know that?”

"I'm making an exception for you." He snickered and led her outside.

“Are you now?” But he was... “So, what brought you to my party? I’d have thought you’d come for the cocaine. Like that boyfriend of Third’s.”

"I came for you." Oh that boyfriend... the First Elder... he was not even sure whether he was going to bother doing something with this or no.

“For me?” Well, it was her birthday. Still! It wasn’t like anyone besides Twelfth, Yuri, and Ignes cared for her specifically. Even Fourth was likely just there for Ignes.

"For you. I promised to come, after all." He chuckled. "Long ago." More of a joke, alluding to his vision, but still.

“You did?” Huh. She blinked. Wasn’t he...? But he couldn’t be, right?

He did not give a response and simply walked beside her - until several people ahead blocked the way. Yuri, Marie and three others. As expected.

“Yuri?” She asked. What was he doing here?

"Doctor Aris. I'm afraid you're in trouble." He would take care of Aris while Crombel found a way to mitigate the damage caused back at the party.

"In trouble?" She tilted her head. "No. I'm going on a date!"

"No dates for snitches," Marie commented.

She frowned. "I didn't snitch! I just asked if someone knew something that was common knowledge!"

"Not common to those not supposed to know." Yuri had to concede that that was kind of on Crombel, really. "Orders are orders."

"Yuri... you would really betray me?"

"Yes." He pushed up his glasses. "I've been with Crombel all along, actually."

Aris actually looked _hurt_. Hurt and _angry_. "Then..." She stepped back momentarily, a whip manifesting from a band on her arm. " _Die_ , Yuri."

Maduke cleared his throat. "Are you really going to fight in the presence of an Elder?"

Hmm? She tilted her head at him. "I mean. He's not really giving me a choice, is he?"

" _I_ give you all a choice," he countered and Yuri laughed. "You're a witness, so..." Marie's hands began glowing in a menacing purple and Maduke shook his head. "Really... Doctor Aris, please stand back. You should not exert yourself on your birthday. I will give Yuri to you."

"Oh! Okay!" She giggled, retracting the whip and stepping backwards. He was going to fight for her then?

"An arrogance befitting of an Elder," a man with blueish skin tone and red hair sneered. "You think you can take us alone?"

"With my eyes closed," Maduke confirmed and simply let the blue-haired girl and the sneering man come for him - he seized her by the ponytail and, using an amount of strength no one should possess, swirled her around to take out Jake, breaking her neck and almost ripping her head off in the process. Her body crashed into a nearby tree as he followed up with a single leap and landed before Jake could get back up, crushing his skull under his boot - a display of precise and effortless violence that horrified the young boy who outright fled - that was alright. Yuri and his two remaining companions still seemed to think they could fight.

Oh! "Wow! You might be stronger than my babies! Combined, even!"

"I could take them _and_ Cerberus," he noted with a wolfish grin - and that moment of inattention allowed the man in the red suit to land a hit - though the rather superficial wound on Maduke's arm seemed to start healing right away - he bolted towards Yuri and seized his arm, twisting him to incapacitate him. A broken arm and then a rather mild kick to the knee - he would not be going anywhere while he took care of the remaining two. Maduke tossed Yuri in Aris' direction almost diligently.

"Oh!" She giggled, taking hold of Yuri. "Looks like you're mine now, huh?" She took her whip back out to keep him held and under control. A 'collar' that shocked you tended to keep people in general listening to you.

The remaining two were taken care of in no time - they stood no change against a werewolf warrior, after all. Maduke simply wiped his shoe against Jake's jacket and pushed his hair back into place. "... Really. And I even gave them a chance to back out..." The kid had gotten away but he did not care about that detail.

Aris just giggled. "Strike two against Crombel though. Attempting to assassinate a fellow scientist for such a petty reason..."

"... Well. And here I thought we'd go on a nice date." He sighed. "Do you happen to have a cellphone with you?"

"I do!" She took it out. "Call Twelfth, I suppose."

"Good idea. This'll need a bit of a clean up, I'd wager."

She dialed Twelfth. "Um. Hey. So... Second asked me out to get milkshakes, but on the walk there, Yuri and four others tried to assassinate us. Looks like I was the target specifically."

Twelfth, on the other side of the line, sighed. "I'll send Cerberus." They could deal with that. Maduke leaned against a lantern post. "How unfortunate."

"Oh, we can still get milkshakes. We just have to wait for Cerberus to get here!" And, bonus! "We have Yuri here as a survivor! So he can be questioned. Isn't that right, Yuri?"

"... You'll have me killed anyway." He grit his teeth. His body ached.

"Oh, definitely. But not before... well. I'll figure something out." She patted his shoulder. "Tell me. Why? Was I not a good enough boss?"

"You wouldn't get it." He groaned in pain.

"I wouldn't, huh?" Well. "Here's something you _will_ get. This little stunt? Will cost Crombel more than my words did. You've managed to ruin him far more than I ever could."

"You were not... supposed to survive." What kind of a _monster_ was Second?!

"Intent doesn't matter, Yuri. Only results do."

"You're... really awful." He laughed brokenly. "You're a demented bitch and you tell yourself all you are is cute and genius."

Aris laughed at that as well. " _Really_ now. You think you know what I think about myself and what I tell myself? Tell me, what other _magical_ insights do you have about me?" Her demeanour changed abruptly to one Yuri had never seen. "It's called a 'persona', jackass. I'd have thought you'd know what that is, given you've kept one up too. You think I trust _anyone_ enough to see the real me?"

"Who are you?" Yuri just snorted.

"I don't trust you with that knowledge." Hopefully, Cerberus would be there soon.

They did show up indeed - Yuri was taken and the bodies would be cleaned up and Maduke just offered his arm to Aris to lead her away. "What a bothersome business."

"Yes. I'm going to need a new assistant, it seems." She sighed. "Shame. Yuri was _competent_."

"... I know someone who might actually help you with your development as a scientist, if you are interested. Someone more competent and skilled than Ninth."

"Hmm?" She tilted her head, clearly interested.

"His name is Lagus, and knowing him, he will find you absolutely delightful and will be happy to teach you. He is not with the Union since he felt it would only hold him back."

"Oh! But he is involved with the Union?" If he knew about it.

"No. He is just an old friend of mine." Maduke shook his head. "The Union's research and affairs are... beneath him."

"Beneath him?" What could _possibly_ be more important than the Union?

"You will understand if you do agree to meet him." Maduke chuckled. "But milkshakes. Everything else can wait."

"Milkshakes!" She giggled.

They reached the joint and had a milkshake - Aris went for strawberry again, Maduke was content with chocolate. They stepped outside on the parking lot and he looked up. "It's a pity the sky is so bright here," he lamented.

“You like the stars?”

"Yes. Up there should be Polaris, and Arcturus would be over there, if it weren't so bright." He pointed for her to roughly imagine where they should be.

“Oh! Astronomy isn’t my strong suit. Polaris is the North Star though, right?”

"Exactly." Maduke nodded and leaned against the fencing of the parking lot. "Let me guess what you like."

"You wanna guess?" She giggled.

"Yes." Her giggle was adorable. He was glad she hadn't disappeared. "I think you'd enjoy a good book. Maybe in good company? Dainty cakes at cafés with flowers on their fences somewhere at the French Riviera. You like men. Not the greasy, useless kind of men. No. You're better than that. I think you're a girl who knows what she wants. And a girl who's not afraid to go against the flow."

Her eyes widened. He... had her pegged for sure. How did he know all that!? "You're good. I'm afraid I can't read you as well, though. Unless... you're listing off some things that you like as well?"

"Good books are something I enjoy. Dainty cakes... Not sure about those. Men? No." He chuckled.

She giggled. "Because you're straight, or is this an aesthetics thing too?"

"There's a difference?"

"I can see a pretty girl. It doesn't mean I wanna be _with_ her. Ignes, for example."

"Ah. That makes sense. I'd never thought about it." He watched her. "And I can tell you're strong. You strike me like someone who went through a lot to succeed.”

“... You’re...” He was _right_ , but... why was that familiar?

Maduke tilted his head questioningly, waiting for her to finish.

Actually, with the coat, he was... “No way! But! But you don’t exist!” That was just an imaginary friend she’d thought up from the trauma!

"... I am right here, am I not?"

“No! That’s not-“ She huffed, pouting. “This is going to sound absolutely insane.”

"I've heard a lot of insane things recently. I doubt this is going to be worse than anything I heard already."

“Okay. Well, when I was little, I had an imaginary friend that looked, sounded, and spoke just like you.”

"An imaginary friend who definitely wasn't a messenger from God, much as it might have felt like it."

Her face flushed as her eyes widened further. He... _did_ know. She was absolutely speechless. “You... were wrong. You didn’t say you’d find me. You told me to find _you_.”

"... Maybe in another world... You actually found me." And then he chortled. If this was the Temperance he comforted... Was there now a universe in which Aris, his time travel companion, faced him, who remembered a ghost lady who showed him her bosom? That was too amusing. "But you kept your promise. You fought tooth and claw and got out on top."

“I did! So, um. The other me got the same enhancements, then? I know I look nothing like I did even as a young adult.”

He nodded. "Exactly like the other you. Down to the giggle."

She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him. “I’d always wanted to do this.”

The gesture actually brought a smile to his lips and he placed his arms around her.

“I...” A few tears started to fall. “I’m not sure I’m good enough anymore to have you back. What I had to do was...” Basically sell herself, even if it wasn’t _outright_ prostitution. Sometimes she’d even exchanged sexual favours to be considered for some things it was obvious a _man_ who had the same skill set would have been immediately accepted for.

He simply pet the back of her head. "I know. You had to do things you'd rather not have done."

“You... you _know?_ ” Already?

"I knew all the time. I could never change the course of your life, just as, in another universe, you couldn't change mine. Not until we meet here, face to face, when nothing is set in stone yet."

“Oh!” That was... “So... did she win you over then?” The other her?

Maduke laughed and ran his index finger over her jawline before flicking the tip of her nose in an almost affectionate manner. "Wouldn't you like to know. No spoilers." Yes. And there was a softness in his eyes that betrayed him. "Let's return to the party. I feel like celebrating."

“Okay.” She relaxed further into his hold before pulling away, taking his arm. “So, chocolate?” That was his favourite?

"And cheese. Chocolate and cheese. That, and a delicious lamb tajine from Morocco whose original recipe is lost to the ages." He placed an arm around her as he walked. "We should go there."

“Morocco? I’ve never been. I’d love to see it.”

"We'll see whatever you want," he assured and so they returned to the party - not only to celebrate her birthday, but also to celebrate second chances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big Thank You to anyone who read up to here <3 you are a champion


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